Returning to college as a non-traditional student and single parent, Jessea Gay Marie earned bachelor degrees in Fine Art and English Literature with high honors from UC Irvine before attending graduate studies at UC Santa Barbara. Since receiving her MFA degree in Fine Art in 1998, Jessea has worked in various positions at UCSB, from Distance Learning for Off Campus Studies, to Graduate Program Advisor in Sociology, to her most recent promotion in the Global and International Studies Program as the Graduate Program Advisor and Internship & Placement Officer.

In addition to her position at UCSB, Jessea has taught multimedia and graphic design at Santa Barbara City College, and continues to volunteer for various organizations in the area, including the Children's Creative Project which hosts the I Madonnari street painting festival, the American Cancer Society, and Special Olympics.