Zea earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of Florida Levin College Of Law. While a Gator, she was named to the Dean’s List and was awarded a scholarship in the area of employment law. She was also vice president of the Real Property Law Association. She also graduated cum laude from the University of Central Florida, earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature. She is originally from West Palm Beach, Florida but has called the Orlando area home for most of her life.

During law school, Zea worked as a Certified Legal Intern at the Ninth Judicial Circuit Office of the Public Defender and after graduation, she served as an Assistant Public Defender for four years. She has gone to trial over twenty-five times and is skilled at arguing legal motions in court and writing legal memorandums.