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Zuleyka Jerris Rivera Mendoza

Age: 18

Date of Birth: October 3, 1987

Palce of Birth: Barrio Parcelas Vasquez in Salinas

Height: 5'9

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Brown

Links:

Zuleyka Riviera Mendoza

Santa Banta

Miss Puerto Rico

What are your interests and what do you enjoy doing the most?

My interests vary; they range from sports (I like jogging, spinning and weightlifting) to watching the Latino version of "American Idol" and a few of Telemundo's dramatic series. I enjoy listening to all sorts of music from Spanish Rock to Bolero to Reggaeton. Whenever possible I enjoy taking dance lessons and if I have a busy day I try to meditate and evaluate the things that I can improve; I call this my particular brand of yoga.

Name one person other than your parents who has had the most influence on your life. Why?

My friend, mentor and advisor: Ismael Rios. As a young impressionable teenage girl, the presence of Mr. Rios in my life has been one of tremendous prioritization and encouragement geared to achieving my goals. Through his example I was able to balance a hectic life as a model, high school student and work to the point where I was able to enter college at the age of seventeen. Through all my hard work and dedication, I won the Miss Puerto Rico crown at the age of eighteen. Both my parents and I consider Mr. Rios a member of our family. It makes it even more remarkable considering that Mr. Rios is not a blood relative and he has offered me the genuineness of his advice, his love and understanding without ever asking anything in return.

What is your career ambition and what are you doing or plan to do to accomplish that goal?

My biggest goal in life is to become a great actress of infinite range. I would like to be a crossover actress working in the Latino acting community and in the American cinema. I have already worked on several commercials and TV programs where I have had to learn my lines and deliver them well. As Miss Puerto Rico I have worked as an emcee. I have been instructed in the principles of acting, but most of all, I am a keen observer of the human behavior, which, under my interpretation, is one of the best things an actress can do. When I see someone who is funny and interesting I observe them.

Describe where you were raised and what your childhood was like.

I was raised in Salinas, a small, beautiful coastal town that collides with the Caribbean Sea. I had a beautiful childhood with both my mother and father and two brothers whom I adore. I am the eldest of us three children and the only female, and I adore my brothers. Even though my parents provided both my brothers and me with all the necessities in life, we were not - nor are we now - what would be considered rich, but we have so much more - a united family where respect and honesty prevails.

What makes you unique and different from the other contestants?

Physically I have been told by modeling agencies and friends that I represent the consummate Latino look. Everything in my face expresses our heritage, our music and the wonderful mixes of races that we are. As a person I consider myself a woman with clear and defined goals. Determination, courage and self-confidence are three of the qualities that distinguish me.