Tia celebrates her birthday on January 2nd and is of Filipino, Chinese and Spanish decent.

Growing up in Hawaii on the island of Oahu, Tia attended Sacred Hearts Academy, a private school for girls. She admits that while in the first grade she entertained the idea of becoming a nun, but fortunately for Hollywood and all of her fans, she headed for the glittering lights of tinsle town instead. Her new dream was to pursue a career as a professional singer and actress.

While on her way to making her dreams come true, Tia entered talent contests where she could showcase her singing ability, such as "Brown Bags to Stardom", a popular local talent contest. This is the same contest that has helped launched the careers of several young local performers, including Glenn Medeiros. Tia also occupied her time with modeling jobs.

One of three girls, Tia was considered the brain - so there's more to her than just her good looks, although it was her beauty that helped land her her first role in a feature film, Aloha Summer.

The story goes that she was shopping at a little grocery store in Waikiki when she was noticed by the parents of the film's producer. They thought she'd be perfect for the role of Lani, the niece of a character played by well-known local comedian Andy Bumatai.

After Aloha Summer and graduation, Tia packed her bags and headed for Los Angeles.

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