Ciao, Valeria

Pronounced: 
vah-LAY-ryah (Italian), bah-LE-ryah (Spanish)

Meaning:
to be strong; feminine form of Valerius, a 2nd-Century Roman saint and martyr; Valeria is also the name of a character (a lady of Rome) in Shakespeare’s “Coriolanus”

Favorite words to live by:

“Overcome the notion that you must be regular. It robs you of the chance to be extraordinary.”
- Uta Hagen

Who I Am
I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to a half-Argentine, half-Italian mother and a full-blooded southern Italian father who never lets one get away with calling him anything else.  As a child, I was happiest surrounded by my loud, affectionate and vivacious extended family, as well as in school, where I expressed my wide-eyed, inquisitive spirit — or so I’ve heard.

Today, I am happiest when:
- I’m surrounded by those whom I love
- I’m being challenged mentally and physically
- I’m learning from and contributing with others
  (Hence the blog and all)

Random Fact
There is a beach in Buenos Aires called Valeria del Mar (Valeria of the Sea). It makes the ocean-fanatic in me happy.

Personal Motto
I’d rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I’m not. At the end of the day, I want to have lived/laughed/loved as much as humanly possible.

What I Do
I’m a public relations practitioner and a die-hard communicator. Prior to moving to Florida’s gorgeous Emerald Coast at the end of 2009, I worked for Edelman in Miami, where my indulgence in social media took off.

Currently, I oversee public relations initiatives and marketing efforts for the beautiful Pensacola Bay Area as the director of communications for Visit Pensacola (CVB).* A very proud graduate of the University of Florida (Go Gators), I am now a part-time graduate student at the University of West Florida*, where I’m pursuing a Master of Arts in Strategic Communication.

*My blog posts reflect my own thoughts and not those of my professional or academic affiliations.

Community Involvement
Currently, I am the President of the Northwest Florida Coast Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA).

I have had the opportunity to serve as a speaker on communications and social media at various programs through local organizations, as well as a freelancer for local publications, including Emerald Coast Magazine and Coastal Lifestyles.
 

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