Valerie Velazquez
{{Short description|American singer, philanthropist and creative entrepreneur}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox pageant titleholder
| name = Valerie Velazquez
| image =
| caption = Velazquez supporting Life Works White Party in Austin, TX
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1985|7|6}}
| birth_place = San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height = {{height|ft=5|in=3}}
| occupation = Former Miss Texas Latina USA, singer, actress, producer, entrepreneur
| website= {{URL|valerievelazquez.com}}
}}
Valerie Velazquez (born July 6, 1985) is an American National Top 5 Finalist in the Miss Latina US Pageant, singer, philanthropist and creative entrepreneur. Velazquez represented Texas as a two time Miss Texas in 2008 & 2009 and finished 3rd Runner-up in the National beauty competition representing her Mexican, Spanish, and Italian heritage.{{cite web |url=http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=4595709 |title=Valerie Velazquez Miss Texas Latina Places Top 5 |accessdate=October 22, 2008 |date=December 20, 2012 |work=Independent Online}} Velazquez is on the Board Of Directors of 501 (c) (3) non-profit Beauty for Freedom in New York City where she campaigns to end human trafficking.{{cite web |url=https://beautyforfreedom.org/members/valerie-velazquez/ |title=Beauty For Freedom Valerie Velazquez}} She's worked with Grammy Nominated Producer Mack Damon on a track for action film Machete directed by Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis, however the song was not chosen for final film release.{{cite web |url=http://www.mackdamon.com/baldemar/credits.html |title=Grammy Mack Damon Valerie Velazquez Baldemar Little Devils Machete}} In July 2016 Velazquez was asked to ring the Nasdaq Opening Bell at the Opening Bell Ceremony{{cite web |url=http://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/beauty-for-freedom-to-ring-the-nasdaq-stock-market-opening-bell-20160721-00164 |title=Nasdaq Opening Bell Ceremony |accessdate=July 21, 2015 |date=July 21, 2015 |publisher=NASDAQ}} to raise awareness for her ongoing efforts in philanthropy and causes.{{cite web |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/beauty-freedom-ring-nasdaq-stock-100000942.html |title=Nasdaq Opening Bell Ceremony |accessdate=July 21, 2015 |date=July 21, 2015 |work=Yahoo Finance}} Velazquez now resides in Manhattan.
Life and career
Born in Texas, she was raised in San Antonio and attended Texas State University where she became the first Latina to be named Best Actress in university history for her role as Audrey in Little Shop Of Horrors.{{cite web |url=http://www.txstate.edu/news/news_releases/news_archive/2003/11/shopofhorrors110703.html |title=Valerie Velazquez Texas State Best Actress |accessdate=November 7, 2003 |date=December 20, 2012 |publisher=Texas State University}} Prior to, Velazquez performed the national anthem for former President of the United States, the then Governor of Texas, George W. Bush at the Texas Capitol in Austin to raise awareness for the National Red Ribbon Campaign. She began her early singing career performing at various San Antonio Spurs National Basketball Association games at the San Antonio Alamodome and AT&T Center from 1996 to 2011, and in 1998 performed the national anthem for the Boxing Lightweight Division World Championship bout of Azumah Nelson and Jesse James Leija which would be the late Azumah Nelson's final bout. In 2011 she left entertainment after personal struggles and the death of her late father which she explained on Catholic radio show, Mary's Touch.{{cite web |url=http://marystouch.org/listen/ |title=Former Miss Texas Latina explains father's death and life change |accessdate=September 1, 2015 |date=September 1, 2015}} She began a full-time career as a philanthropist and entrepreneur.
In 2011 she produced STRUT 512 which was announced as Austin's Official Day of Proclamation by Mayor Lee Leffingwell in celebration of Austin's food, fashion, and philanthropy.{{cite web |url=https://issuu.com/neftalirr/docs/almmayjune/ |title=Austin Proclamation |accessdate=May 12, 2011 |date=May 12, 2011}} In 2014 she produced The Better World Awards honoring those who better the world during the Formula One race in the United States. She awarded Pamela Anderson for her activism in Animal Rights with Peta, alongside Kweku Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela.{{cite web |url=http://goodnewsplanet.com/better-world-awards-pamela-anderson-olivia-gaynor-long-and-kweku-mandela-receive-humanitarian-awards/ |title=The Better World Awards Pamela Anderson & Kweku Mandela |accessdate=November 7, 2014 |date=December 20, 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://theshowbizlive.com/fifth-annual-better-world-awards-pamela-anderson-olivia-gaynor-long-kweku-mandela-receive-humanitarian-awards/ |title=The Better World Awards |accessdate=November 7, 2014 |date=November 7, 2014}}{{cite web |url=https://adrianamichellebeauty.wordpress.com/2014/11/07/the-fifth-annual-better-world-awards-pamela-anderson-olivia-gaynor-long-and-kweku-mandela-receive-humanitarian-awards// |title=The Fifth Annual Better World Awards: Pamela Anderson, Olivia Gaynor-Long And Kweku Mandela Receive Humanitarian Awardss |accessdate=November 7, 2014 |date=November 7, 2014}}{{Dead link|fix-attempted=yes|date=September 2024}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://valerievelazquez.com/ ValerieVelazquezOfficialWebsite]
- {{Facebook|valerieavelazquez|Valerie Velazquez}}
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Category:American Roman Catholics
Category:Actresses from San Antonio