Tiffany Hines grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. She loved to dance, sing, and model. She went to the University of Cincinnati to study marketing.  Once she discovered a love for acting, she chased her dreams and moved to LA.

She guest starred on ABC's Grey's Anatomy as Natalie. Currently, she plays Birdie on Beyond the Break. The show films in Hawaii and follows four very different teenage girls chasing their dreams — to be a professional surfers. Birdie is new to surfing, but, similar to Tiffany, she left school to fulfill her love. Birdie has a military boyfriend, Marcus, but he isn't the only one chasing her heart. Bailey (Ross Thomas III), the hot surfer guy next door, has a huge crush on her, which causes some problems. The season finale of Beyond the Break is tomorrow, Friday, at 8:30 ET on The N. Don't worry, that isn't the last you'll see of the show or Tiffany. Beyond the Break has been picked up for a second season, scheduled to premiere in early 2007!

This interview was conducted by Maddy Pumilia via e-mail in July 2006.

How did you get your big break?

I was living in Cincinnati, Ohio and heard on the radio one day that they were auditioning for a talent contest. I was already singing in a band, teaching dance at a local dance studio, and was signed with Wings modeling agency. So it made sense to compete in singing, dancing, and modeling. At first though, I wasn't going to compete in the acting category because I didn't think I had enough experience. However, in the end, my modeling agent convinced me to enter the acting category as well. It's a good thing too! Because I ended up coming in first place for acting and was scouted by both my agent and my manager at that competition.

After the competition, I saved up all the money I could and moved to LA. I remember how determined I was driving in my car three days across the country chasing after my dreams! All of my family thought I was crazy! I got a job as a server in a restaurant and started to work to pay for my outrageous rent and save up for headshots so my agent could send me out on auditions. It was such a struggle, but after several months I finally had enough saved. After I finally had my pictures I was ready to go on my first audition. It was for the role of Birdie Scott on Beyond the Break. Two months later, I found out I had booked the role! It was like a dream come true! Looking back now, I can't believe it happened that way! I feel really blessed.