Born in Vallejo, California, raised in Captain Cook, Hawaii by her maternal grandmother and step-grandfather, orphaned at 11, and emancipated at 15, Mahal Montoya attended the University of California, Berkeley where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. She completed her law degree at the University of Iowa and holds a Master of Library and Information Science from San Jose State University. Mahal made her theatrical debut as "Hazel Niles" in the Role Players Ensemble Theater Production of Eugene O'Neill's "Mourning Becomes Electra" fall of 2011.