One of seven children, Adams started working at the age of 12. In high school, she worked at a local dance company as she balanced her extracurriculars of choir and track.

She told The Hollywood Reporter her real passion was dance and she pursued that after high school instead of furthering her education before she began acting.

"I didn't go to the university because there weren't options in my family. And I stopped the athletic options. I was supposed to stick with track because I was really quick and I could run fast, but I told them, 'I want to dance.'" said Adams in 2008. "I taught kids when I was in high school. That's how I paid for my dance classes. I worked in a dancewear store. I just waited to get out of school. I wasn't one of those people who enjoyed being in school."