She was also honored as a member of the National Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar Team and graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1998.

Higashio will be inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2013.

Higashio officially joined the LPGA Tour in 2004, and placed thirteenth overall at the Sybase Classic later that year.

Higashio suffered a shoulder injury leading to surgery in 2006, and last played on the LPGA Tour in 2007.

Higashio is the daughter of Osamu Higashio, a member of the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame and a former pitcher and manager of the Seibu Lions baseball team.