Ysa Penarejo Biography

Ysa began training in dance when she was a child. She was trained in ballet, lyrical, jazz, contemporary, modern, and hip-hop forms of dance. Simultaneously, she began auditioning for commercials, too. Ysa was 8 when she bagged her first commercial: a campaign for a girl’s jewelry line. A few of her other commercials and print campaigns have been for brands such as 'Justice,' 'Sears,' 'Marshalls,' 'Old Navy,' 'Kohl’s,' 'Target,' and 'Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.'

Working in commercials led Ysa to develop an interest in acting. She expressed her wish to audition for TV shows and films to her mother. Her mother supported her decision and got Ysa enrolled in an acting class. She was 9 years old when she began training in acting. Two years later, Ysa began auditioning for roles.

Soon, she was offered a role in the 2012 American drama film ‘An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars.' Ysa bagged the role of ‘Toulane Thomas,’ the best friend of the lead character, ‘McKenna Brooks.’ The same year, she appeared alongside Missi Pyle in the TV movie 'Prodigy Bully.' In 2015, Ysa appeared in a recurring role in the 'Netflix' original series 'Richie Rich.'

Ysa received her next big acting project in 2016 when she was cast in the 'Netflix' hit show 'Project Mc2.' The 'Emmy'-nominated show featured her as ‘Camryn Coyle,’ a brilliant mechanical engineer. The show narrated the tale of four super smart girls working for a secret organization called 'NOV8.' The show helped Ysa establish herself as an actor. She was also part of the second and third seasons of the show. The same year, Ysa appeared as ‘Alicia’ in the family movie 'Gibby.’ The film portrayed Alicia's relationship with a monkey and showed how she battled her depression caused by her mother’s sudden demise. In 2019, she made an appearance as ‘Maisie’ in the American anthology streaming television series ‘Crown Lake.’ That same year, she also played the role of ‘Haley’ in the television film ‘The Secret Lives of Cheerleaders’ directed by Peter Sullivan. The film holds a 5.2 out of 10 rating on IMDb.

Ysa reprised her role as ‘Maisie’ in the 2019 fantasy horror series ‘Red Ruby.’ In 2021, she became a part of the superhero television series ‘Stargirl’ where she portrayed ‘Jennie-Lynn Hayden.’ The show went off-air in 2022 after airing 3 seasons.

Ysa has worked with 'Kourts Krew,' a charitable organization that provides financial help for multi-organ transplant surgeries of children. Ysa enjoys composing songs. She has released her original pop anthem, 'Like Not Love,' a song about teenagers, their relationships, and other life struggles. The song is available on 'iTunes.' Ysa has also collaborated with songwriter Amber Ojeda for a single. She has also teamed up with world-renowned record producer Kovas.

Ysa was born on March 29, 2000, in San Diego, US. She has a twin sister named Reese Penarejo.

Ysa looks up to actor Zendaya as one of her role models. She is also inspired by actors Dakota Fanning, Shay Mitchell, and Chloe Grace Moretz. Ysa wishes to work in horror and action movies, two of her favorite genres. She also wishes to appear as a guest star in 'Pretty Little Liars. Ysa loves to listen to ‘One Direction,’ Katy Perry, and Beyoncé. Her favorite tracks are 'What Makes You Beautiful' by ‘One Direction,’ 'Part of Me' by Katy Perry, and 'Countdown’ by Beyoncé. Ysa loves collecting 'American Girl' dolls. She has four from the range, namely, ‘McKenna,’ ‘Julie,’ ‘Ivy,’ and a ‘Just Like Me’ doll. She doesn't like shopping.

Despite being allergic to dogs and cats, Ysa still wishes to own a dog. The first time she had colored her hair was for 'Project Mc2.' Ysa has now turned to vegetarianism. She is allergic to peanuts.