Graduating from the University of Rhode Island with a BFA in theatre, she started to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. She went to the Famed Chicago Second City Improv School and studied there for a year as well as taking advantage of the hot standup comedy scene in Chicago. Poppy worked her way up the chain in all the Chicago clubs, as well as suburbs until she was a headliner. She put over 250,000 road miles on her car, and won a comedy contests on the Joan Rivers Show where she was awarded the prize of being “America’s Funniest Real Woman “.