Vanessa Hudgens was born in Salinas, California, the daughter of Gina (née Guangco) and Greg Hudgens. Vanessa has a younger sister, Stella Hudgens. Hudgens's father is an American of Irish and Native American descent, and her mother, who grew up in Manila, is a Filipino-born of Filipino, Spanish, and Chinese descent. She has been home-schooled since after her seventh-grade year at the Orange County High School of the Arts.Starting at the age of eight, Hudgens performed in musical theater as a singer, and appeared in local productions of Carousel, The Wizard of Oz, The King and I, The Music Man, and Cinderella, among others.
