Brenda Montoya, a Los Angeles native, is a first-generation American and first-generation college student. She was part of the Creative Writing Club in L.A. Senior High School where they featured her prose and poetry. In 2007, she moved to Houston, TX and attended J. Frank Dobie High School. As part of the Academic Decathlon team, she won a total of 20 medals, including a bronze for the interview event at the 2008 Texas State Competition.