Vanessa Phillps was born in the Caribbean in Kingston, Jamaica. She then migrated to the U.S from Jamaica at age of 12. She was also faced with the reality of being undocumented and then became a part of the Adelante Student Voices Program which aided her with the necessary resources and networking with others that have made her more established in her new home territory. Over the years, she has committed herself to share the knowledge that she has gained to impart in the lives of others so they too can impact their communities in a positive way.