She received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Oregon School of Law where she served on the Women’s Law Forum, completed a judicial externship with Lane County Circuit Court, and worked with Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski. She received her undergraduate degrees from the University of California at Santa Barbara where she earned her B.A. in Law & Society, served on the Law Review, taught English to local Spanish monolingual children, and volunteered with California Rural Legal Assistance.