Amanda Rang was born and raised in Hawai`i, on the island of O`ahu. She holds a B.A. from Stanford University in American Studies. Amanda's academic work focused on history and society, and included a self-designed focus on Pacific Islander studies. While at Stanford she initiated, developed and taught two undergraduate courses, which examined contemporary Native Hawaiian issues such as the sovereignty movement and the impact and role of tourism on cultural preservation.

At Stanford Amanda co-founded the campus chapter of Hapa Issues Forum, a student group which fosters community for Asian Americans of mixed heritage. She also served as chair of the Stanford Hawai`i Club, as a student coordinator for the Asian-American Studies program, and as coordinator for the Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program. In the spring of 2002 she developed, organized, and led an ASB trip for 14 Stanford students to explore contemporary Native Hawaiian issues on O'ahu. She is a student of hula (Hawaiian dance) and `olelo Hawai`i (Hawaiian language). Upon graduating, Amanda received the Dinkelspiel Award for community service. She has recently returned to Hawai'i, where she continues to conduct research for Horse Opera Productions.