Khalifa lived with her family in Montgomery County, Maryland,[5][9] where she played lacrosse in high school.[10] She said she was bullied at school for being "the darkest and weirdest girl there", which intensified after the September 11 attacks.[5] She attended Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Virginia, and later graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso with a Bachelor of Arts in history.[5][11] She supported herself during college by working as a bartender, model, and "briefcase girl" on a local Deal or No Deal–style Spanish-language game show.