Mary-Katherine graduated with distinction from the University of North Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication with a concentration in Public Relations. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina School of Law, graduating with honors.

During law school, Mary-Katherine served as a staff member for the North Carolina Law Review. She received the Gressman-Pollitt Oral Advocacy Award for best appellant in the Spring of 2009. She also mentored and tutored first-year law students in her position as a LEAP Honors Scholar.

Mary-Katherine is a member of the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys, the North Carolina State Bar and the Tenth Judicial District Bar.