<P> Lawson was born in Los Angeles, California . She is the daughter of Denise (née Gordy) and actor Richard Lawson, making her the step - daughter to Lawson's second wife Tina Knowles, and step - sister to singers Beyoncé and Solange Knowles . Lawson is also the great - niece of Motown founder Berry Gordy . She attended the Stella Adler Studio of Acting and graduated from Marymount High School, a Catholic school in Los Angeles . She then went on to study film and psychology at University of Southern California . Lawson's parents are both African - American, and she also has Italian, Native American, Portuguese, and Creole ancestry . </P> <P> Lawson began acting at the age of nine, having appeared in commercials for Barbie and Revlon . In 1993, she was cast in the television series Saved by the Bell: The New Class as series regular Megan Jones . She appeared in multiple episodes of The WB sitcoms Sister, Sister as Rhonda Coley and The Steve Harvey Show as Rosalind . In 1996, she co-starred in the UPN sitcom Goode Behavior as family sub-title character Bianca Goode, which lasted for just one season . In 1997, she appeared in Buffy the Vampire Slayer as vampire slayer Kendra Young . In 1999, she appeared in The WB's Dawson's Creek as rival character Nikki Green . </P> <P> In 2009, Lawson was cast as Shawna in The Secret Life of the American Teenager . That same year, she was cast in the CW television series The Vampire Diaries, as witch Emily Bennett . In December 2009, she was cast as Maya St. Germain in the ABC Family series Pretty Little Liars, based on the book series by Sara Shepard . She appeared in that show from June 2010 through August 2012 . Since 2012, she has had a recurring role as Ms. Morell in the MTV television series Teen Wolf, based on the original film from 1985 . In 2014, Lawson had a recurring role as Eva in Witches of East End . In 2015, she was cast as series regular Talia Freeman in season three of Rogue . </P> <P> Lawson has made appearances in two different television miniseries . In 1998, she appeared in The Temptations as Diana Ross (whom Lawson is related to through Ross's daughter Rhonda Ross Kendrick); and in 2001, she was cast as Anna Bella Monroe in Anne Rice's The Feast of All Saints . </P>

Girl who plays maya in pretty little liars