Tinaya grew up in Theodore and a few years after graduating high school in Yorkton, she found herself going to Lethbridge Community College and received a Diploma in Disability Community Rehabilitation in 2009. She then spent 10 years in Edmonton working in various positions supporting individuals with disabilities to achieve their goals and full potential.  In 2019, Tinaya moved to Humboldt to raise her children with the support of her family in a smaller, slower paced community. She joined the Schuler-Lefebvre staff in the summer of 2022 as an administrative assistant.