Dr. Begay is of Navajo, Seneca, Mohawk descent and was raised in Portland, Oregon with summers spent on the Northern Navajo reservation.
Dr. Begay began her college career at San Diego Mesa Community College and then transferred to the University of California, San Diego, Revelle College. She graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and minors in art history and psychology.
In 1999, Dr. Begay enrolled in the University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry’s post-baccalaureate program. Following this program, she began her graduate studies at the University of the Pacific, Dugoni School of Dentistry, in San Francisco. After earning her D.D.S in 2003, she began working with the Indian Health Service.
Dr. Begay currently works as a supervisory dentist at the Gallup Indian Medical Center in Gallup, NM. She is involved in several local and national organizations promoting American Indian/Alaska Native students into higher education and professional careers.