Cerina Vincent (born February 7, 1979) is an American actress and writer best known for playing Maya the Yellow Galaxy Ranger in the television series Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, as well as her film appearances in Not Another Teen Movie, Cabin Fever, It Waits, and Everybody Wants to Be Italian. She has written three books with Jodi Lipper, and writes a regular column for The Huffington Post. Vincent was born on February 7, 1979 in Las Vegas, Nevada, to parents of Italian descent. Following the success of Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, Vincent landed additional television roles on MTV's Undressed (2000), Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue (2000), Son of the Beach (2000–02), Malcolm in the Middle (2001), Felicity (2001), and Ally McBeal (2002). Vincent loved to perform from an early age, encouraged by her mother, who was a dance instructor. She performed in a Christmas production at Diskin Elementary School, learning the lines for all the characters. She also appeared in productions at the Rainbow Company Youth Theater, which was sponsored by the Cultural Affairs division of Las Vegas. In 1996, at the age of sixteen, Vincent won the Miss Nevada Teen USA title and competed at Miss Teen USA. Though she made it to the top 15, she failed to place at the pageant (televised live), which was held in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Vincent graduated from Durango High School in 1997, and moved to Los Angeles, where she attended Marymount College on a scholarship. Between classes she went on auditions and eventually landed several commercials and a role on USA High for the USA Network. In 1999, she appeared in her first film role as a bratty teenager in the thriller Fear Runs Silent, starring Billy Dee Williams. In 2001, Vincent appeared in the feature film spoof Not Another Teen Movie as the foreign exchange student Areola, who appears throughout the entire film nude. The character was a spoof of Shannon Elizabeth's character, Nadia, in American Pie (1999). Vincent found the role challenging, never having appeared nude in a film, or even auditioned for a nude role. During the course of filming, however, she became more comfortable with the character. Vincent's first major role as an actress was as the Yellow Galaxy Ranger Maya in the 1999 television series Power Rangers Lost Galaxy. Vincent later recalled, "It was a great way to learn a lot and get a taste for this business on a small show like that, but for kids. It was cool to be a role model for kids."