Originally from Bellaire, Texas, Ivy Keen attended Hope College, where she studied Psychology and Business Management. At Hope, she served as the treasurer of the Psychology Club and secretary of the Asian Prospective Association, and was involved with the International Relations Club. She also worked as a tutor and writing associate, a capacity in which she assisted students with the writing process and other work for classes. She also traveled to Port-au-Prince in Haiti on a service trip, and studied abroad in Sydney, Australia at Macquarie University. Ivy has served a great deal with churches in Holland, Michigan, assisting in trips and events. She has also long studied instrumental music and plays the flute, piccolo, and oboe. She served at PittServes.