Dr. Carolyn Light was raised in Northern California on the Monterey Peninsula. She attended the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and received a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences in 1976. Dr. Light then attended Case Western Reserve University, School of Dentistry. She graduated in 1980 and received the award for outstanding achievement in the area of oral medicine.
Dr. Light has been practicing dentistry in Southern California since 1980. She is a member of the American Dental Association, California Dental Association, and Orange County Dental Society. She has volunteered her services to the Orange County Health Care Agency in its Childrens Dental Clinic and was previously on staff in the dental clinic on the campus of UCI for its faculty, staff, and students.