Diya Rao is an actor, singer/songwriter, dancer and model based in Santa Monica, California. Born in Montréal, Ontario, Canada, Diya moved to Santa Monica at age 7 and fell in love with singing through her school and state choir programs. After her vocal coach arranged for a personal audition with Debbie Allen, Diya was invited to join Miss Allen's prestigious RISE Musical Theatre Program to study acting, musical theatre, singing, and various forms of dance performance. After 4 years at Debbie Allen Dance Academy, Diya was the winner of the Shonda Rhimes Scholarship for Performance in 2021 , and the Glenn Ford Scholarship for Acting in 2021 from Samohi. Diya made her screen debut in 2024 in an episode of ABC's Grey's Anatomy.
