Malea Moody was raised in St. George, Utah. She studied Physics for 3 years at Utah State University and worked as a research assistant at the Space Dynamics Laboratory. She served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Lima, Peru, where she developed a desire to help people who cannot help themselves. When she returned, she transferred to Brigham Young University and graduated with Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and a minor in Mathematics. During the summer of 2017, she was an extern with Spain's Ministry of Justice where she learned more about religious freedom and international law. She also spent a week volunteering at the CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project in Dilley, Texas helping prepare women for Credible Fear Interviews in order to receive asylum. She does research as a member of the Student Management Board of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies (2017-2018) and served as a member of the Concierge team for the 2017 International Law and Religion Symposium.