Allyson was born in Honolulu, HI. She graduated from Washington State University with a bachelor's in multimedia journalism from the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication and a bachelor's in creative writing. She strives to give a voice to under-reported issues and under-represented voices. She currently works for Honolulu Star-Advertiser's MidWeek as editor of East Oahu Voice, a community newspaper on Oahu.