Dr. Stroede was born and raised in rural Central Kansas. She studied engineering at Kansas State University where she earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering. Dr. Stroede represented K-State on the national academic stage as a Goldwater Scholar and a National Science Foundation Graduate Student Fellow. After graduation, Dr. Stroede worked in Wichita as a Structural Engineer in the aircraft industry for 6 years before pursuing a career in dentistry.Dr. Stroede completed her DDS degree at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Lincoln. Shortly after graduation, she started the rigorous 33-month orthodontic residency program at The Ohio State University. While at Ohio State, she earned a second M.S. degree and had the privilege of training with many leaders in the field of orthodontics, including co-authors of the leading orthodontic textbooks.