Lyn Ulbricht : Mother Of Ross Ulbricht "Silk Road" FreeRoss.org
Ulbricht grew up in the Austin metropolitan area. He served as a Boy Scout,[5] attaining the rank of Eagle Scout.[6] He attended West Ridge Middle School,[7] and Westlake High School, Austin, Texas. He graduated from high school in 2002.[8]

He attended the University of Texas at Dallas on a full academic scholarship,[6] and graduated in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in physics.[8] He then attended Pennsylvania State University, where he was in a master's degree program in materials science and engineering and studied crystallography. By the time Ulbricht graduated he had lost interest in his major and was interested in libertarian economic theory. In particular, Ulbricht adhered to the political philosophy of Ludwig von Mises and supported Ron Paul, and participated in college debates to discuss his economic views.[7][9]

Ulbricht graduated from Penn State in 2009 and returned to Austin. By this time Ulbricht, finding regular employment unsatisfying, wanted to become an entrepreneur, but his first attempts to start his own business failed. He eventually partnered with a friend to help build an online used book seller, Good Wagon Books. His limited business success, combined with a breakup with his on-and-off girlfriend from Penn State, left Ulbricht deeply dissatisfied with his life.[7][10]