As a native Michigander, she began her academic career at Grand Valley State University, graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, Biology, and Applied Statistics. She then traveled to Michigan State University where she spent five years developing a deep love of Big Ten sports, and also completed a dual-degree Ph.D. in Social/Personality Psychology and Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior. She then accepted a one-year postdoctoral research position at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel. There, she worked in two remarkable labs, advised by Drs. Eran Halperin and Tamar Saguy, examining psychological barriers to conflict resolution.