Valerie Sue Love was born in Ft. Lewis, Washington to an African-American father and Korean mother and was raised on military bases for the first 14 years of her life. The Love family lived in many different places including Hawaii, Missouri, Korea, and Memphis, before settling in Atlanta, Georgia where she attended high school. She later studied at The University of Georgia and received a BA in Drama and a Minor in Child & Family Development. Love was an active member of the University of Georgia's Black Theatrical Ensemble (BTE) student drama troupe and landed the lead role in the University Theatre production of "Marisol."