Mariah grew up in Brooklyn and learned to swim when she was seven at a local YMCA, before continuing to take private lessons at Long Island University. She was a member of the Brooklyn Stingrays for two years and then swam with the New York Aquatics Club at Baruch College through her middle school years. In high school, she moved from the swim team to the track team and ran cross country and indoor track before an injury kept her from competition. While this injury sidelined her track career, it got her back in the pool. She soon received her Lifeguard and Water Safety certifications and began working in and around city pools. Mariah attended Pathways In Technology Early College High School and interned at IBM during her junior year in the Sales & Marketing department. She attended Hunter College for two years but took a break to travel the world (Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Germany) and plans to go back soon to continue her education in Psychology and work in the medical field once she earns her degree.