She received her Master's in Teaching from Duke University in 2014, after which she taught both middle and high school social studies for four years. Monica completed her Ph.D. in education policy at UGA in December 2021. Her research interests specifically concern matters of student equity related to school-based racial segregation, and much of her work centers on student experience and achievement in magnet schools. She served as both a graduate and teaching assistant during her doctoral work and completed a research fellowship with the Southern Education Foundation. Monica has lived in Atlanta for nearly her entire life.