Before moving to Washington, D.C., Mercedes earned a master’s degree in environmental and conservation sciences from North Dakota State University, where her research focused on the health benefits of Indigenous foods and their relevance to the prevention and management of non-communicable chronic diseases. She also earned a bachelor’s degree from NDSU in biotechnology, with minors in chemistry, microbiology, and Spanish studies. During her undergraduate studies, she worked in a sugarbeet physiology research lab at the USDA Agricultural Research Service, contributing to three peer-reviewed publications, including one as first author.

Mercedes is originally from Fargo, North Dakota, and is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.