In December 2003, Molly received her B.S. through an interdisciplinary program at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Her depth study was Scientific Writing and Philosophy of Science. Her degree combined the core biology coursework with additional emphases on environmental science, the philosophy of science, bioethics, and non-fiction writing.

In order to broaden her experience in environmental policy and research, she traveled extensively between semesters. In Australia, she lived at a field station in the rainforest, where she participated in a tropical reforestation project that intensely examined the local ecology and climate, as well as the resultant conflicts over land usage..

After receiving her undergraduate degree, she entered the Americorps program as a construction crew leader in the Habitat for Humanity affiliate that serves Chapel Hill. She worked with a wide range of community members, from college-aged to retired volunteers, from homeowners whose families had occupied the same Chapel Hill neighborhood for generations to those who had recently immigrated from all over the world. Her experience at Habitat helped inform her desire to learn more languages and to bring attention to the efforts of international humanitarian non-profits.