Reared in Woodland Hills, CaliforniaBorn on Apr. 18, 1984, Ferrera's parents emigrated to the U.S. from Honduras in 1970's. Then, her mother divorced and raised six kids - five girls. All six graduated from college - Ferrera earned her degree in International Relations from the University of California, though she pursued acting throughout. From the time she was seven years old, when she landed a small role in a school production of Hamlet, Ferrera want to be a performer!

She acted in school plays and community theater in L.A., but with little help from her mother, who insisted that she pursue other interests. Not that her mother doubted her talent - but she was concerned whether or not her daughter would get a fail. Ferrera forced to take the bus to auditions, though eventually her mom saw her daughter's dedication and began to drive her. At sixteen, Ferrera signed with a talent agency and began auditioning for commercials and other projects.

Her first big break at seventeen when she was cast as one of a handful of Latina girls transformed from a group of shiftless teens into a championship dance troupe by a schoolteacher in the Disney Channel's movie-of-the-week, (Gotta Kick It Up). Ferrera landed the lead in (Real Women Have Curves,) playing a young girl determined to go to college to pursue her writing dreams than stay with her close-knit family and work in a factory. The coming-of-age drama earned it's share of good reviews and she was highlighted for her strong, charismatic performance.

Ferrera transitioned to television, appearing as a high school student with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in (Touched By an Angel). Then she landed the dreaded role of a pregnant teen forced out of home in the Hallmark Hall of Fame production, (Plainsong). Then appearing in an episode of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation", Ferrera was next seen as the real-life skateboarding groupie, in (Lords of Dogtown), about the famed Z-Boys who revolutionized their despite falling prey to the trappings of celebrity. Then appeared in (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants), a coming-of-age drama about four life-long friends who split apart for the first time in their lives, but keep in touch by sharing a pair of pants that magically fits each of their distinct frames. Ferrera gave a performance as the introspective.