Sherlean received her B.A. in Political Science, International Affairs, and Peace Studies from Marquette University, where she was in the Honors Program and EOP. Ronald E. McNair’s Postbaccalaureate Achievement program. Sherlean’s undergraduate research is where she was introduced to SROP at the University of Iowa. The Summer of 2022 is the UI Political Science program where Sherlean grew her interest in her research for the Chinese Soft Power efforts in African countries.