Daniela Rose Anderson studied medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine. She is originally from Silver Spring, Maryland, where she first discovered watercolor painting and the power of stories at the Washington Waldorf School. Daniela attended Bard College, where she became close with Marina who would later be diagnosed with leukemia and inspire one of the book's characters with her strength, resilience, and deep love for those around her. Daniela received a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship for a post-collegiate year studying leprosy in Asia and Africa. During her studies, she met Sumit, a young boy living in the hospital in India where Daniela volunteered. Daniela completed The Moon Prince and The Sea in honor of Marina and Sumit as part of her University of Utah Layers of Medicine course, which addresses the patient-physician relationship. She hopes to continue exploring stories during her residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at the University of Chicago.
