Ku dhammee weedhan soo socota: Armstrong wuxuu ku dhashay Winchester, Massachusetts. Waxay iska diiwaan galisay kulliyadda Hampshire ee Amherst, Massachusetts iyada oo damacsan inay noqoto farshaxan, laakiin waxay u wareegtay taariikhda farshaxanka iyo daraasaadka dhaqanka, iyadoo ka heshay shahaadada BA ee Daraasaadka Mareykanka 1974. Ka dib markii ay qalin jabisay, waxay u shaqeysay maamulaha deeqaha ee National Endowment for the Humanities (1976<unk>9) ka hor inta aysan galin dugsiga sare ee Jaamacadda California Berkeley si ay u hesho MA ee Taariikhda Farshaxanka 1982. Intii ay ku jirtay Berkeley, waxay ka shaqeysay sidii kaaliye cilmi baaris oo loogu talagalay Madxafka San Francisco ee Farshaxanka Casriga ah iyo kaaliye dayactir oo loogu talagalay Madxafka Lowie ee Anthropology, halkaas oo ay ka qayb qaadatay daabacaadda 1983 <unk>The Anthropology of World Fairs: San Francisco's
Bandhigii Caalamiga ahaa ee Panama Pacific ee 1915". Maqaal ku saleysan mawduuca shahaadada mastarkeeda, "Muuqaalka Mareykanka ee Satire, Farshaxanka Paul Cadmus ee 1930s", ayaa ka soo muuqday "Arts Magazine" bishii Maarso 1982.