Angelica Panganiban was born in Payatas, Quezon City on November 4, 1986. Her biological mother is a Filipina who died in 2008 and was buried in Singapore, while her biological father, Mark Charlson is an American from Iowa, United States and a former member of the US Navy. She acquired the surname Panganiban from her adoptive family. Panganiban finished elementary school in 1999 at St. Vincent School in Teacher's Village, Quezon City, and high school in 2003 at the same school's Main campus along West Avenue. She was the Junior-Senior Prom Princess in 2002 and Miss Junior and Senior Prom in 2003. She was also a cheerleader and a Feature Editor in their school newspaper. She attended college at Thames International Business School, majoring in Mass Communication before transferring to Ateneo de Manila University where she majored in Bachelor of Fine Arts, Creative Writing.