Claudette Carrida Jeffrey was born and raised in New Orleans’s Seventh Ward. She attended Corpus Christi Elementary School and J.S. Clark High School. Her grandfather, Louis Smith, was one of the Autocrat Club founders. Her great-aunt, Mary V. Rilley, a teacher, was influential in Claudette’s young life. After high school, she moved to New York City where she married and started a family. In southern California, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Southern California and a Teaching Credential from California State University at Northridge. She’s retired and now lives in northern California.