Vanessa Parravano was born and raised in Massachusetts. When only fourteen, Vanessa and her family transferred to Atina, Italy. While there she enrolled in the Liceo Classico, a prestigious humanistic high school, and earned her diploma in 2007. Upon completion of her high school education, Vanessa returned to the U.S. and began her college career at Boston College. She is currently pursuing a degree in Italian and English and has earned recognition for her scholarly achievement in Italian. During her free time, she teaches Italian in multiple centers throughout Cambridge, Natick, and Lexington. Her interests include English and Italian literature of the nineteenth and twentieth century, 1930's-1950's cinema and music from the same era.