Valerie hails from Brooklyn, NY, where she spent her childhood years training in dance and musical theatre. Starting at the age of ten, she
became an ensemble member of the Chelsea based non-profit youth
theatre company, “TADA!”, where she performed off-broadway in original MainStage musicals, stage readings, and special events all around NYC, including the Goodwill Games, United Way Foundation, and Save the Children.
Valerie was always extremely focused and
dedicated to the arts, and even from a very young age, she felt
passionate about connecting with fellow artists and presenting
peoples’ stories through the theatrical lens. In addition to her immense theatrical training, and performance experience - Valerie is extremely passionate about Lyme Disease awareness/advocacy work, as she herself, was plagued with the ailment for a time, while performing/touring with the prestigious Weathervane Theatre Co. As she worked through the treatment process, she was, and still is, shocked at the complexity and various injustices, which swirl around
Lyme.
Therefore, all throughout this journey, she has felt a strong
desire to start the dialogue about what truly is a massive global
issue. In recent months, she launched “Artists Bite Back”, an artist
collective that aims to provide a creative and healing platform for
artists who have been impacted by Lyme. She is currently working on an original feature film about her journey, entitled, "I Have Lyme, the Movie". She feels determined to continuously cultivate new and creative ways
to express the themes of Lyme in an artistic manner, and to raise
awareness in an approachable way for the public at large.