Patricia Velásquez

Creativity goes beyond films, canvas and photos. It is also a catalyst for philanthropy and charity as well as activism. Patricia Velasquez, an award-winning model, actress, and historian who is a tireless philanthropist as well as an activist, and also a mother who is devoted to her children, brings an insatiable creative energy to all her endeavors whether it's in blockbusters such as The Curse of La Llorona or launching Wayuu Taya Foundation, and participating as a member of the UNESCO Board. She relies on her intuition and creates her own path and is making huge strides. "I see my work as a lengthy staircase," she says. "I made every step. It was amazing to do this, as there was a long-term effect. I simply lay my head down, moving one step at a time, and never stopped." The metaphor directly resembles a formative experience. After a couple of years, she moved to Venezuela. She was born in Venezuela and raised in France and Mexico. Parents who worked as teachers in South America, moved her family to a cramped house that was without water and elevators. Patricia carried fifteen flights of stairs up with heavy buckets to provide water to the area. She tried to assist her family as much as she could despite her engineering studies and intensive dance training. The commitment she made to her family, which was the crucial factor in her rise to the top in the fashion industry, led to her being scouted for modeling in Milan. She says, "When they asked me to go to Italy I told them"If I can pay thirty dollars a month back Venezuela, it's worth it since that would provide the entire building's water'." Patricia's triumph was an important moment in fashion when she brought attention from the fashion world to South America for the first time. After being "the first Karl Lagerfeld model ever photographed" after which she proceeded to appear in editorial spreads as well as advertisements for the front of Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana. She also appeared in Oprah's "Supermodel of the World Contest" hosted by Ford Models. The covers of her book also appeared of Vogue, Bazaar, Marie Claire and numerous other publications.