Lake claims both San Diego, Calif., and Klamath Falls, Ore., as hometowns. She holds a bachelor's degree from Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon, where she studied television broadcasting and human communication (negotiation-conflict management, family communication, gender and communication, etc.). She holds master's and doctoral degrees at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication. Lake began her career as a a researcher on the Leeza Gibbons' former talk-show, "Leeza." Immediately prior to coming to WBIR, she worked as reporter, producer and fill-in anchor at an NBC affiliate in Medford, Ore., covering local news in a viewing area that spanned most of southern Oregon and into northern California. Lake enjoys outdoor activities and is a voracious reader and an avid still photographer.