Ana Valencia was born in the picturesque state of Michoacán, Mexico. Having moved to sunny California at the age of five, she strongly values her heritage and holds her culture with pride. Ana has been deeply involved with her community and has volunteered and worked for various non-profits in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a teen, she promoted healthy lifestyles and educated young Latino families on the importance of physical activity, nutrition as well as other health related issues. As she approached her high school years, Ana developed an interest in dance. Without losing her focus in her studies, Ana graduated high school and became the first person in her family to attend college. With many choices of colleges to attend, Ana decided to stay close to home and attend Santa Clara University’s Communication program. There, she obtained her bachelors in Communication with an emphasis in Journalism and took advance placement Spanish courses. Currently, Ana works for the Palo Alto Family YMCA as a Teen and Outreach Director and is able to inspire and educate young generations to move confidently in the direction of their dreams. When she’s not at her teen center, Ana can be found at her local dance studio rehearsing salsa routines with her dance team MamboNova. 2011 was truly an eventful year as Ana was also selected to be a participant on Univision’s hit show, Nuestra Belleza Latina, where she gained the strength and energy to keep striving for her goals.  Ana is honored to accept the 2011-2012 Miss California Latina title and is looking forward to helping and growing with the organization. She has adopted a platform to raise awareness within the Latino community about children’s obesity and is ready to advocate for healthy living.

For more information on the Miss California Latina organization or to book appearances with the titleholders, please contact info@misscalifornialatina.com