[5][10] She studied dance as an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan,[5] and credited her first semester as the point in which she "consciously shifted and embraced a career as a dancer".
In a 2008 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Tavarez recalled she did not want to be "just another girl doing Latin-y pop", instead preferring to develop "something distinctive, even if the crowd would be more niche".
[5] In 2001, Tavarez participated on the American version of the reality television franchise Popstars,[11] which had a first season focused on forming a girl group.
[11] Following Eden's Crush's disbandment, Tavarez worked as a television host on entertainment news and red carpet events.
[9] While working for the cable channel mun2, she was hired as an entertainment host for the music television series On Air with Ryan Seacrest.
[13] In the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Douglas Durden wrote that Tavarez was "obviously chosen to match Seacrest in overactive enthusiasm", and compared her reporting to puff pieces.
The Chicago Tribune's Carmél Carrillo compared Tavarez to Paige Davis, the host from Trading Spaces, but felt she was "little more than window dressing in the early episodes".
[19] Tavarez also hosted Idol Tonight—a pre-show for American Idol—along with two of the show's finalists: Kimberly Caldwell and Justin Guarini.
[6][24] She was signed to SESAC and Warner Chappell Music as a songwriter and joined the Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company.
[23][10] While living in Los Angeles, she collaborated with musician Marthin Chan and recorded Latin alternative music under the stage name Chana.
[28][note 2] At age 32, Tavarez completed her Master of Fine Arts degree in choreography and decided to stop working as a television host.