She is native to the Tidewater area and grew up in Virginia Beach. After graduation from Princess Anne High School, Kristi went to East Carolina and James Madison Universities where she graduated from JMU with a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Health Sciences and a minor in Substance Abuse Intervention. Kristi stayed active at both ECU and JMU as a member of the varisty softball team and as an intern with a plastic surgeon in Harrisonburg, VA.