Buffy grew up in San Rafael; she started swimming in the Marin Summer league for the Marinwood Water Devils at the age of 5. She attended Terra Linda High School and swam varsity for all four years (she also played water polo and basketball). She continued to swim and play water polo at San Diego State University where she got a B.S. in Recreation Administration. Her main events were the 200 & 500 freestyle. Buffy enjoys most activities that take her outside like swimming, biking, running, skiing and hiking.

Buffy started to help children learn how to swim at in her early teens as a swim aide at the Marinwood pool and continued on to be a swim instructor teaching students of all ages and abilities all through High school and she is currently teaching at the RRC. She got her first coaching position in the Marin Summer League with the Novato Riptides and joined the Marlins in the Spring of 2012.