Aya Sumika Koenig was born on August 22, 1980 in Seattle, Washington. Her mother is Japanese American, and her father is of European descent. Aya grew up in Seattle and went on to study ballet at Juilliard in New York City. She worked as a cocktail waitress there as well. Her first film role was a bit part in the indie film Bloodline. She was on the the short-lived television series Hawaii. Her breakout role was that of Special Agent Liz Warner on Numb3rs.