Gillian is originally from West Virginia and earned her Bachelor of Science in Animal and Dairy Science from Mississippi State University in 2021. While completing her undergraduate degree, she gained hands-on experience working at the university's dairy for two years. After graduation, she worked at a South Dakota dairy farm on the herd team before moving to the calf barn, and becoming a calf manager.

Gillian completed her Master of Science in Animal Science at Penn State University. Her research focuses on pair housing calves and evaluating the effects of feeding pelleted forage on growth performance, diarrhea incidence, and cross-sucking behavior. She is also a registered Professional Animal Scientist (PAS) with the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists (ARPAS). Outside of her academic and professional work, Gillian enjoys hiking, fishing and spending time outdoors with her dog, Koe.