[Profiles] Miss Pennsylvania USA 2014 - Valerie Gatto biography

Valerie Gatto was crowned Miss Pennsylvania USA 2014 at the conclusion of the pageant held on Sunday of December 8th, 2013 at the Hyatt Regency Pittsburgh International Airport in Pittsburgh. She will represent the state of Pennsylvania in the Miss USA 2014 pageant, scheduled for next summer, probably in Florida.

The Miss USA Pageant is part of the Miss Universe Organization owned by Donald Trump and NBC Universal. The winner of the Miss USA competition will represent the United States at the 2014 Miss Universe Pageant.

If Gatto wins the Miss USA pageant, she will become the second Pennsylvania titleholder to wear the national crown. The first was Miss Pennsylvania USA 1971 Michele McDonald.

Biography:

Valerie was born to a single mother who never told her family that she was pregnant and who had all intentions of putting her up for adoption because she thought that if she was raised in a traditional family she would have a better life.  However, all of that changed the night Valerie was born when her great-grandmother, grandmother and aunt came to the hospital.  Valerie's mom told her family about her adoption plans; but Valerie’s great-grandmother said - God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.  Her mother listened and decided to raise Valerie with the help of God and her family. When Valerie was six, she started asking about her father and her mother explained to her that he was not part of her life and would never be.  When she was about ten, she started asking more questions about her father and her mom explained that she was attacked at knife point and raped which resulted in Valerie being conceived.

Her family came together, made sacrifices, worked hard and stayed positive during difficult times. Valerie grew-up living with her mom, maternal grandparents and for a while her aunt.  Every Sunday, Valerie would go to Church with her family and great-grandmother.  Growing up and today, Church is a very important part of her life. Valerie would go to Church-wide events like mother/daughter luncheons and fashion shows (she got to model in with her mom), picnics, baseball games and hayrides.  Besides the fun events, her Church also provided services for the community. One of which was the Church’s food pantry that her mother was in charge of for several years.  As a result, her mom delivered food baskets to those in need and Valerie would go with to deliver.  This taught Valerie that no matter how little she had; there was always someone who had less than her and that it was important to give back.

While in college, Valerie began working as a brand ambassador for AMP Energy Drink which led to being a promotional model for other products/brands. While an AMP ambassador, Valerie was one of ten ambassadors nationwide invited to attend the PepsiCo College Summit. There she had the opportunity to network with top company executives and participate in developing new products. Her experiences as a brand ambassador and promotional model drew her to marketing and she decided to get her degree in Business Administration. The summer before her Junior year, the acting bug bit.  The feature film, Abduction, was being filmed in Pittsburgh and Valerie was cast as the stand-in and double for Lily Collins, the female lead.  Being part of the Abduction cast helped Valerie to not only develop her talent, but it also allowed her to make industry connections that she still maintains to this day. 

Since graduating with honors from the University of Pittsburgh, Valerie has been actively blending her love of making a difference, acting and modeling, and developing her professional marketing career. Over the summer of 2013, Valerie spent 52 days in Europe exploring various cultures and teaching English to Italian children. During this time, she stayed with various host families and made several lasting friendships.  Since returning, Valerie has been speaking at events that focus on empowerment, volunteering with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Gwen’s Girls, and donating clothing to Treasure House Fashions which promotes dignity and self-esteem in women.  At the same time, Valerie is following her acting and modeling dreams.  She starred in an independent film called “Croaker” that will be on DVD by December 2013. Valerie is Miss Pennsylvania USA 2014. With the title, she hopes to inspire people of all ages and to teach others how to defy the odds and achieve their dreams. 

Source: http://valeriegatto.com/biography.html