McKinley grew up dancing competitively at Bravo Dance Center, after being accepted into their performing company at age nine. There she trained in Ballet, Pointe, Modern, Lyrical, Jazz, Tap and Hip Hop from the third grade throughout her Senior year of high school. After high school, she continued her dance studies at Kennesaw State University where she was a Dance major with a Modern concentration and also received a Bachelors in Business administration.  After landing the role of a cheerleader on season 4 of Netflix's 'Stranger Things', McKinley discovered her love of TV/Film work and being able to dance and act for camera.