Cruz was born to Filipino parents, who raised her Catholic. She attended Brookside Christian High School, in Stockton, where she was involved in many activities such as cheerleading, drama club, yearbook, and journalism. At age 17, she graduated high school in the top 5% of her senior class and later moved to San Rafael, California, to attend Dominican University of California, a Catholic college, where she majored in print journalism. She later transferred to San Francisco State University in her sophomore year