A Chicago native of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, she made her professional stage debut at the age of seven in Paul Mejia's "Cinderella" at The Auditorium Theatre. By the age of 12, she was dancing 20 shows a month as Clara in "The Nutcracker". She joined the Young People's Company, whose alumni include John Cusack, Joan Cusack, Jeremy Piven, Lili Taylor, and Aidan Quinn.