She attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where she majored in psychology and minored in biology. Coda then earned her teaching certificate from Mount Saint Mary’s College in Los Angeles then continued at Grand Canyon University to earn a master’s in teaching. Before becoming a teacher, Coda was an alcohol and drug counselor in California. From her experience as a counselor she decided she wanted to become a teacher. She has been teaching in Renton for 17 years.