PATRICIA VELASQUEZ

Velásquez, the fifth of six children, was born in Zulia, Venezuela to a Venezuelan father of Native and Spanish descent and a mother who came from the Wayuu tribe.Her parents were both teachers;[3] her father also worked for UNESCO and as a result, she spent some of her childhood in Mexico and France. She attended San Vicente de Paul High School, graduating in 1987. After a year of college studies, Velásquez left for Milan, Italy, in pursuit of a modeling career. She also competed in the 1989 Miss Venezuela pageant representing Guajira Peninsula, placing seventh.