Brea, a native of Dallas, Texas, is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in psychology at Columbia University. Before her academic journey at Columbia, she lived in Warsaw, Poland, where she studied philosophy and traveled extensively. During her travels, she noted a significant prevalence of speech disorders in individuals with histories of abuse. These observations, coupled with her own experiences with a speech disorder, motivated her to study the neurobiological underpinnings of these disorders in the Marlin lab. Her research investigates the impact of early-life stress on the mesolimbic system, specifically examining how stress-induced dysregulation affects neurobiological pathways integral to fluent speech production. By investigating these effects, Brea aims to clarify the factors that heighten susceptibility to stuttering and other speech-related disorders.

Outside the lab, Brea enjoys spending quality time with her cat, Toulouse, participating in Pilates classes, and exploring new countries and cuisines.