Patricia Velásquez

Creativity is more than just film, pictures, or canvas. It is also the catalyst for philanthropy and charity and activism. Patricia Velasquez is an award-winning actress and a history-making supermodel. She is also a committed donor. Author activist, author and loving mom. She is a strong believer in intuition , and a pioneer of her own journey. "I think of my career as a long , sweeping staircase," she says. "I took every single step up. It was quite amazing to accomplish this because it was perseverance. I never stopped moving, just sat with my head down. This metaphor is reminiscent of a formative experience. After a couple of years, she moved to Venezuela. She was born in Venezuela and was raised in France and Mexico. In South America, her parents worked in education and moved the family into an crowded apartment that had no running water and no elevators. Patricia often carried buckets of water over 15 flights of stairs in order to supply water. Between her studies in engineering and dance training, Patricia tried to help the family by any means she could. The commitment she made to her family, which was the most important factor that helped her rise to the top of the fashion industry, led to her scouted to model in Milan. She recalls, "When they asked me to travel to Italy I told them"If I can pay thirty dollars a month back to Venezuela the cost is worth it, because that will be enough to cover the whole building's water'." Patricia's triumph was an important turning point in fashion as she attracted attention from the fashion world to South America for the first time. The "first modeling gig Karl Lagerfeld photographed" was an amazing breakthrough. Her next step was to be featured in shows, front editorial spreads, as well as in ads for Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana and Fendi. The world was abuzz with her presence, she appeared in Oprah as well as Ford Models' "Supermodel of the World" contest as well. She was also featured on the front covers of Marie Claire, Bazaar and Vogue.