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Kelly Ripa is a woman of many talents. The actress, talk show co-host, and mother of three often takes to social media to put trolls in their place. You might wonder how Ripa comes up with some of her top-level snark. Turns out, the New Jersey native’s schooling may have had a hand in her epic comebacks.

Did Kelly Ripa go to college?

Kelly Ripa walks the red carpet
Kelly Ripa attends the 13th Annual CNN Heroes at the American Museum of Natural History | J. Countess/Getty Images

Ripa’s college education runs close to her father’s path. The longtime Camden City, New Jersey locale comes from supportive, beloved parents. Ripa’s father, Joe, is a war veteran, Camden High School, and Rutgers University, graduate.

After serving as a Trustee for Camden County College and sustaining a career in transportation and local politics, he became the Camden Country Clerk.

Ripa didn’t follow in her father’s footsteps exactly, but she did stick to her Jersey roots. After graduating from Eastern Regional High School, she attended Camden County College for two years.

Where did Ripa’s love of entertainment begin?

Plenty of celebrities didn’t receive a high school or college diploma. Others started the journey, quit to pursue dreams, then returned to earn a diploma. Ripa’s time at Camden County College may have been the jumping-off point for her career in entertainment but it really began in middle school.

Ripa has long since credited her middle school theater director, Jim Beckley, for encouraging her time under the spotlight.

“No sixth-grader had ever been cast in a musical,” she previously told SJ Magazine. “I was the worst singer, but he thought I was quirky, and he gave me a shot. He cast me in H.M.S. Pinafore, and I’ve always really appreciated him for that.”

She admitted to learning an important lesson adding, “When you get an audience laughing, you get them on your side. And if you can laugh at yourself, they’re bound to like you even more.”

While the middle school experience planted the seeds of using humor to entertain, her college major may have been the tipping point for her transition into acting.

Here’s how Ripa’s college major may have influenced her social media usage

It may sound unbelievable, but Ripa’s major at Camden County College explains a lot about how she approaches humor on Live With Kelly and Ryan, as well as how she responds to comments on Instagram.

The psychology major — yep, you read that right — spent her two-year stint digging into the inner workings of the human brain. If you add that knowledge to Ripa’s easygoing humor and desire to entertain, it’s clear she knows what she’s doing.

The next time you’re scrolling Instagram and come across an epic Kelly Ripa clap-back, you can thank Camden County College. Ripa knows how to handle comments and criticism like an educated pro, because she is.