Thurston graduated with an MFA in costume design from the UT Austin’s Live Design program. While there, she had the opportunity to design costumes for the main stage productions Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet, Year of the Tiger, Cohen New Works Festivals’ XOR, and numerous dance collaborations. She has worked across the West at such theaters as The Phoenix Theatre Company, Arizona Broadway Theatre, the Utah Shakespeare Festival and the Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre. Thurston also has a love for fashion and has a distinct interest in Western wear. Her thesis involved designing and creating a nudie-style Western suit for Dan Hardick, the frontman of Austin’s Western swing band Fingerpistol. ​She graduated with honors from Northern Arizona University in 2013 with a BA in
anthropology. In 2014 she completed a certificate in digital filmmaking from the Sedona Film School and in 2015 enrolled in Mesa Community College Fashion and Costume Design program. She completed the Pope Apprenticeship at The Phoenix Theater Company during the 2017-2018 season.