[2] Faulkner was born in Powdersville, South Carolina, United States, and graduated from Wren High School in January 1993.
"[10] The Citadel allowed Faulkner to attend classes in January 1994 as a civilian student, which meant she had to be off campus by the time retreat was played.
She then returned to the infirmary, where she spent the remainder of that week before washing out, citing emotional and psychological abuse and physical exhaustion.
[16][17] She told Oprah Winfrey on her show that she had gained weight during the court trials[clarification needed] due to the stress she was facing.
[18] Two decades later, in a 2012 interview with the Post and Courier newspaper, Faulkner said that what precipitated her leaving so abruptly was a threat to kill her parents by a person present when she entered.
"[20] Writer Pat Conroy paid for Faulkner's education after she left the Citadel, and she became a middle school teacher in South Carolina.