Schmidt was born and raised in the Kitchener-Waterloo area and currently resides in Bradford, Ontario.[citation needed] She took acting classes with television actor Dean Armstrong, known in the United States for his participation on Showtime's series Queer as Folk. She trained before becoming an actress, with Kids on Camera and The Second City, two prestigious training companies for aspiring actors. Her classes led to her first appearance, in the 2000 short film Notes from Mother.
Her big break came when she was hired to play Terri McGreggor in the Canadian television hit Degrassi: The Next Generation which aired on The N in the United States. The role was a challenge for the teenage Schmidt, because the character is insecure about her self-image and appearance, and becomes entangled in an abusive relationship.
Schmidt was credited as a series regular on Degrassi in the first three seasons (2001–2004). After that, she left the show to continue her career in modeling. Her character, Terri, had left due to fear of her abusive boyfriend Rick, who had put her in a coma near the end of the third season.

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