Kensey earned two undergraduate degrees from West Virginia University: a Bachelor of Science in Immunology and Medical Microbiology and a Bachelor of Multidisciplinary Studies with emphases in Biology, Leadership Studies, and Political Science. She then earned her PhD in pharmacology at Vanderbilt University, where she worked to improve treatment options for patients with aggressive thyroid cancer and melanoma. During this time, she also served as a Washington Fellow with the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) to advocate for federal support for the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. Kensey is eager to apply her experience to aid the West Virginia legislature.