Monica graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Southern California with a BA in International Relations concentrating in Post-Soviet and Eastern Europe studies and Culture, Gender and Global Society. She is an accomplished ballet, jazz, and modern dancer. She speaks Polish, French and Russian. She was born in Toronto, Canada and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. She appeared in numerous films, commercials, and theater productions as a child but put her career on hold to attend college. Her parents are from Poland.