Celina is an American living in Paris, but her roots are far from fashionable. Celina was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she grew up beside corn fields and went to elementary school next to a dairy farm.
Eventually, Celina found her love for all things creative – starting with clogging, then cheerleading, and finally theatre. Debuting as a munchkin in a community theatre performance of The Wizard of Oz, Celina continued acting on stage and screen throughout her school years. When Celina went off to university in Virginia Beach, she discovered her passion for writing.
At 21, Celina moved abroad to France, having never left the US before and not speaking French beyond “voulez-vous.” After a couple of years as an au pair and digital nomad, Celina found a master’s degree program in non-fiction creative writing in London, where she spent over 2 years writing 60,000 words of autofictional personal essays.
Moving back to France in 2020, Celina tried a few paths. First she taught English in a French high school and then at University level. Then she did two years of practice-led doctorate looking into how writing autofiction can help with mental health. After finding the academic route led to a career she didn’t want to pursue, Celina then spent two years working in corporate social media, where she learned and improved upon many skills, but ultimately found this wasn’t her path either.
Today, Celina has embraced being a multi-hyphenate creative. She’s a freelance social media manager and strategist, content creator, influencer, writer, and actress.
Celina Tolbert 