An “Eleuthera Adventurer” by descent, Joy was born and grew up in Nassau until the age of 14. She attended Interlochen Arts Academy, a prestigious boarding school in northern Michigan, where she graduated high school before attending University of Rochester, New York. She later went on to graduate from Thames Valley University in Reading, England, and obtained her undergraduate and postgraduate degree in Professional Photographic Sciences. Joy spent several years as a professional photographer, and also held numerous positions in customer service and business management before relocating to Eleuthera in 2017 as a full-time vacation rental property manager.