Sandi got her start growing up on her families commercial cattle operation in the high desert near Fallon, Nevada. Sandi said that she inherited her love of evaluating livestock from her grandmother who was a 4-H leader who set the expectation of being actively involved from an early age. This trait was handed down to Sandi's mother who continues to stoke the flames of passion in her for a life in the livestock industry.

As she grew up she naturally transitioned to FFA and upon graduation from high school she was recruited by Oregon State University where she competed on one the school's most successful teams to date.

Sandi expressed that sorting livestock is one of her favorite things to do, especially because it allows her to meet kids that are passionate about their animals and willing to put in all the hard work to get them in the ring.