[2] She is a member of the Minyangbal and Bundjalung people who also has South Sea Islander heritage;[3][4] Corowa's great grandfather arrived in Australia from Vanuatu in the 1890s.

[2] At six months old, Corowa moved with her mother and her older sister Tina to Lismore in northeastern New South Wales.

She began her career as a production assistant for Indigenous Current Affairs Magazine (the predecessor show to Living Black) on SBS.

[8] In May 2006,[9] Corowa joined the ABC as a producer for Message Stick, a TV series focused on Indigenous Australian culture and current events.

[9] In her time at Message Stick, Corowa also directed and/or wrote long-form documentary segments about Terri Janke, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, Paul Fleming, and Bangarra Dance Theatre.