Berelc was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is of half Filipino descent. She was discovered by Ford Models at the age of nine, and was featured in ads from Kohl's, Boston Store, Sears, and K-mart. She appeared on the cover of American Girl magazine for their November/December Issue in 2009. In 2010, at the age of twelve, Berelc took her first acting classes at the Acting Studio Chicago. Two years after, Berelc's parents decided to take her to Los Angeles to try acting professionally. She began her professional acting career in 2013, at the age of fourteen.