Sonya Balmores was born in Hawaii in 1986, the second daughter to a Filipino father and an Irish/American- Indian mother named Malana.

Sonya, who first began modeling at age 13, came to the public's attention in May 2004 when she was crowned Miss Hawaii Teen USA (she later was runner-up to Miss Louisiana Shelley Hennig in the Miss Teen USA pageant).

A year after enrolling in Hawaii Pacific University as a Communications major, Balmores won the role of Kai Kealoha on the popular surfing television show Beyond the Break. She credits her agent Cindy Kauanui of Jet Set Management Group Inc. with landing her the role, and continues to work as a model with the Kathy Muller Agency.

Beyond the Break, is shot entirely on location in Oahu, Hawaii and follows the ups and downs of the competitive surfing circuit known as Wave Sync, following the stories of four girls, the flirt, the native, the one trying to fit in, and the criminal.

Catch Sonya in Beyond the Break every Tuesday at 8pm (Philippine time) on Star World.