Born in Seoul, South Korea and having emigrated with her family to Modesto, California (USA) in 1992, she earned her BA in Art and Latin American Studies from the University of California, Berkeley in 2008. She then went on to gain a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Fine Art from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2011, followed by an MFA in Fiber and Material Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2013.