Sharon was born in Baltimore and grew up in Ellicott City, Maryland. She attended the University of Maryland where she received her BA in Economics with honors and a BA in Government & Politics. She attended George Washington Law School in Washington, DC and graduated with a Juris Doctorate in 1987. Ms. O'Day was admitted to practice law in Maryland in the fall of 1987.
Following graduation Ms. O'Day worked for several non-profit organizations in the Washington, D.C. area, representing refugees from around the world in legal matters before the Immigration Service. In 1992, she joined the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as a Protection Officer. She was stationed in South East Asia, the former Yugoslavia and Africa, where she worked with government officials and aid organizations to ensure the rights of the refugees were protected.
Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator.