ˈæftɚ ɹᵻsˈiːvɪŋ hɜː hˈaɪ skˈuːl ˌɛdʒuːkˈeɪʃən æt tʃˈæmpleɪn vˈæli jˈuːniən hˈaɪ skˈuːl ɪn hˈaɪnzbɜːɡ, ʃiː ɐtˈɛndᵻd ðə dʒˈiːn mˈæns skˈuːl ʌv nˈɜːsɪŋ ɪn bˈɜːlɪŋtən, bᵻkˈʌmɪŋ ɐ ɹˈɛdʒɪstɚd nˈɜːs ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti nˈaɪn.
After receiving her high school education at Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesburg, she attended the Jeanne Mance School of Nursing in Burlington, becoming a registered nurse in 1969.