Hillary was born in Tampa, Florida on May 13, 1990. She began her career in runway modeling for Tootsies clothing company. Growing up, she performed in many theatre productions, such as Newsies, Les Miserables, A Christmas Carol, and Return to Oz. She was educated at Georgia State University in Atlanta, and also at the University of Leeds in Leeds, England. After graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Film and Fine Art as well as a minor in Sociology, she began working in television and film.