Jess Farrell grew up in Marlborough, Massachusetts. She left the northeast to attend Washington University in St. Louis where she received a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in anthropology and political science and minoring in history and writing. After graduating, she spent nearly three years working for the Peace Corps, teaching in Azerbaijan and Liberia. Returning from these experiences, she is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in African History focusing on Liberia in the 1800s.