He was born on November 12, 1982, in Brooklyn, New York. Daughter of lawyer Gerald Hathaway and Kate McCauley actress, grew up with very strong Christian values​​.

He studied at the Millburn High School in New Jersey, where he graduated and soon he enrolled in New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study. She also studied dance at the Broadway Dance Center in New York and gave two concerts as a first soprano in Carnegie Hall.

His first screen appearance was in the TV series, Family Matters, that only one season aired. In 2001, his first appearance was in a movie, Across the sky with actor Christopher Gorham. He auditioned for the Disney film The Princess Diaries, paper you got to make the leap to fame