Erin Elyse Stern was born on February 5, 1980, to a religious Jewish family.
She started horse riding in competitions at a young age, and later developed a passion for running, just like her mother, which led her to her track career.
Stern followed her father's advice when he encouraged her to win a collegiate scholarship to the University of Florida, where she earned Junior All-American status in the high jump[2] Erin attended the University of Florida where she graduated with a BA in Environmental Policy.
As a Junior All-American at the University of Florida, Erin Stern had been competing in pentathlons and heptathlons.
Dejected, Erin Stern was forced to give up her Olympics dreams.