Mary Quao enrolled at Nifa Secondary School in 1978 and graduated in 1983. A talented sports student, Mary was active in all sporting activities, excelling in both regional and national track and field, hockey and volleyball competitions, among many other sport tournaments. She was appointed Assistant Girls Sports Captain as early as Form 3 and acceded to the Girls Sports Captainship the following year, an unprecedented feat in the history of the school.

After graduation, Mary undertook clerical training and, for seven years, worked as an executive secretary with Tropical Exploration and Mining Company in Tema and Accra until 1991 when she migrated to the United States.

Once settled in her adopted country, she embarked on a degree course in nursing and successfully completed it in 2000. Mary has since garnered extensive experience working in various hospital departments across New York, culminating in her becoming a doyenne of the emergency department, where she has acquitted herself with distinction over the past 14 years.