Jherlly attended law school at Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (UNMSM) in Lima, Peru, where she was born. In 2015, she moved to the United States to be with her now-husband, which has helped her understand the struggle of being an immigrant as she learned to navigate the laws and processes of immigration herself. Prior to joining NIJC, Jherlly worked for La Casa de Amistad in South Bend, Indiana, as an immigration counselor and accredited representative.