Liz is originally from the Midwest, but was raised in California. She received her master's degree in public administration from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. During her graduate studies, Liz spent the summer as a microfinance intern with the community organization Haitian American Caucus in Haiti. Liz spent the last year and a half in New York City working for Accion, a non-profit domestic microlender. She began as a resource development intern and transitioned to executive assistant to the CEO/office manager. Liz completed her undergraduate studies at UCLA, majoring in psychology and minoring in French and studied abroad for a year in France. Some of Liz's volunteer experiences include serving as a camp counselor for underprivileged youth and as an advocate at the Monterey Rape Crisis Center.