Born in Kankakee Illinois, Simona Ciarlo attended a church school from fourth grade through high school, where she performed in plays, sang in the choir, and played Alto-Saxophone. When Simona's brother, Matthew Gioia, was beaten in May 2002, she moved back home to help her mom with him and pursue her passion of acting. She attended Chicago Acting Studio for acting and voice-over from 2008-2010. She began appearing in independent films, shorts, and an internet series and commercial. Simona is also an author with two teen books titled: Behind the Velvet Rope and Two Doves in a Fishbowl - Revised. She has an adult book titled, You Can't Save Me. She has written an autobiography/biography titled, Sugar of Lead, and working on a children's book series titled, Sam & Moses.