Patricia Velásquez

Creativity goes beyond the photographs, canvas as well as film and other media. It also serves as the catalyst for philanthropy, charity, and activism. Patricia Velasquez, an award-winning actress, history-making model, staunch philanthropist and conscientious activist as well as an adoring mother, brings a constant creative spirit in everything she does, whether it's starring in blockbusters such as The Curse of La Llorona or launching Wayuu Taya Foundation, and serving as a member of the UNESCO Board. She believes in intuition , and a pioneer of her own path. "I consider my professional life as an endless staircase," she said. "I took every step. It was amazing to accomplish this, since there is a sense of determination. I simply lay my head down, moved one step at a pace, and didn't stop." The imagery is directly similar to an experience that is forming. Her birthplace was Venezuela, but she was raised in France or Mexico. After several years she decided to relocate to Venezuela. In South America her parents worked in education. They moved their family into an apartment without water and no elevators. Patricia took fifteen flights of stairs up with heavy buckets to supply water to the unit. Between her engineering studies and dance training, Patricia did her best to assist the family by any means she could. The opportunity to be a model in Milan and her climb to the heights of the fashion ladder depended on a promise she made to her family and friends. She remembers telling her, "When they asked me about going to Italy to model, I responded"If you could send thirty bucks a month back home to Venezuela and it's worth it since that will pay for the entire building's water costs'." Patricia's achievements marked an important moment in fashion, as she attracted the attention of fashion industry professionals to South America for the first time. She experienced a big break when she became "the first model Karl Lagerfeld ever photographed" and was then able to walk in shows, appear in editorial spreads and advertisements for front pages of Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Chloe, Cover Girl, and Victoria's Secret, to name a few. She also appeared in Oprah's "Supermodel of the World Contest" by Ford Models. Additionally, she graced the covers of Vogue, Bazaar, Marie Claire and many more.