She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Southern California and her J.D. from Pepperdine School of Law. Marya is also certified in mediation and arbitration by the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine School of Law, which has been ranked the #1 such program in the nation (above Harvard) for the past 10 consecutive years by U.S. News and World Report. Prior to becoming an attorney, she was an adjunct professor of business communication at California State University, Northridge.