Cruz was born in Stockton, California, to Filipino immigrant parents. She graduated from Brookside Christian High School in Stockton, where she was a cheerleader, and claims to have graduated in the top 5% of her class. She then moved to San Rafael to attend the Dominican University of California, majoring in print journalism. In her sophomore year, she transferred to San Francisco State University, but apparently left without graduating. Instead, she began performing in pornographic films.