born the second daughter to julian and teahni castilo, anya had growing up what was commonly called "middle child syndrome." her older sister, mercedes, always seemed to get the best of everything since she was first; clothes, toys, makeup. anya always got the hand-me-downs of her sister, the used and beat up versions of things once shiny and new. of course, when her younger brother was born, she was soon the older sister and relished in this superiority that she had never felt before. while the castilos were not poor, by any means, they were not on the wealthier spectrum of denver's residents as well. they were considered to be upper middle class, thanks to julian's position within the car dealership where he worked for the better part of a decade and tehani's job at the local public library. the family was stable but anya always dreamed of more and knew that when she was older and on her own, she would further her life by doing something she loved and was passionate about - not to mention fun.

by the time she was in high school, anya had to overcome the obstacle of her sister's shadow. every teacher and faculty member who knew anya or had her in class could never stop comparing her to her sister, which frustrated anya more than it should. this became another spark that was lit beneath her in finding herself and seperating herself from her sister and family. the opportunity came when she was ready to graduate from high school and being accepted into colleges. while her sister had gone to colorado university denver, as had her parents, anya decided to go to university of denver. there, she would have a fresh start that she craved and would be able to find herself and what she truly loved in terms of her personality and hobbies.

college became four of the best years for anya. she grew not only as a student, something she had never been much of in high school, but she grew within her own skin as a person as well. living on campus, atrending parties, joining a sorority and even finding her passion through her major all helped shape anya into the woman she is today. with a bachelor's degree in communication now under her belt along with a minor in business ("just in case, ya know?"), anya stepped into adulthood upon graduation. she works at the local hip-hop/r&b station in denver where she interned through her degree, working on the morning show as it's "female voice" while filling in for other djs when needed. she also works as a freelance photographer, a hobby she found she had a gift at in college, and a freelance model for various projects, internet shops, etc. anya is happy with the way her life is going now but is more excited to see just adventures and excitement her future will hold.