Name: Valerie

Birthday: Aug. 25, 1983

Stats: 34C-25-34

Born: Longmont, Colorado, USA

Now Lives: Tampa, Fla., USA

See her video at SavvyTV!

College student Valerie, better known to Savvy readers as “MissValerie”, was the June 2007 winner of the “Is She Hot?” contest. Voters loved her natural beauty and how tastefully she presented herself in comments and photos. Always active on the Savvy blogs, she touched many hearts with the story of how her parents were hit by a drunk driver.

Her firefighter dad, “Bruno,” suffered a severe head injury that forced him to re-learn such basic tasks as eating and walking while her mother had two vertebras in her lower back shattered, leaving her to live out the rest of her life in agony.

“We were screwed,” Valerie wrote. “We never got the father figure in our lives and he never got to become the person he’d dreamed of being.”

Her story personalized the issue of DUI and perhaps made a few people think twice about getting behind the wheel after a night of partying. It also showed us this was not just another hot blonde Florida beach babe but a strong, wise, unselfish woman. If we were dating her, she'd be a "keeper." You be the judge...

Savvy: Hi Valerie. Nice to see you. You posted that amazing blog on the 20th anniversary of your parents’ encounter with the drunk driver.

Valerie: Right. I know it wasn’t very glamorous for me to post about that, but it made me feel better to share. It was worth the wounds I opened to write about it.

Savvy: Sort of ironic that you’ve worked as a bartender.

Valerie: I’m very careful in watching how customers respond to alcohol. I’ve forced them to give me their keys or eat something before giving them another drink. I’ve seen other bartenders just continue serving them drinks and not caring what condition people are in when they leave. I’ve helped customers get a cab ride home.

Savvy: It’s a good thing someone like you is behind the bar then. We are sitting here in an Atlanta sports bar and talking. We just did shots. I did Jager and you had Patron, so I'm guessing you aren't anti-alcohol, just pro-responsibility. Do you have any thoughts on responsible partying?

Valerie: I’m usually the designated driver when my friends go out.

Savvy: That’s one way to make lots of friends. (Laughs)

Valerie: I know how to have fun. When someone else is the designated driver, I can drink. My weakness is Tequila... and chocolate.

Savvy: It's hard to imagine you getting wild. You seem very quiet and reserved, more mature than most 24 year olds probably.

Valerie: Yes, I am very reserved and aware of how I act around other people. I’m always thinking ahead. I’ve always been like that. But I know how to go out and have fun. It's just that when I am doing something that is important to me, I don’t take it for granted.

Savvy: How did the thing with your parents’ accident affect you other than the obvious having to care for them?

Valerie: The burden of taking care of my father falls mostly on my sister Stephanie. I want to get my Master’s in physical therapy. I want to work with kids with disabilities. Occupational and physical therapists have had a big impact on my family. If you read my blog, you’ll know the situation that I grew up in. I want to work with kids because I’m too small of a person physically to work with adults and don’t think I am strong enough for that. I did an internship at a school for kids with learning disabilities and special handicaps. It was an awesome experience and made me realize that this is what I want to do with my life.

Savvy: Wow, pretty cool that you're strong enough to do that and unselfish enough to care about others. Do you have any heroes?

Valerie: My parents. They are examples of how to be strong-willed persons, especially when you go through hard times. The stuff that they’ve been through and how they’ve bettered their lives is inspirational to me. They’ve made it possible for my sisters and I to have a good life, so I look up to them for that.

Savvy: What message did you hope to get across to your friends at Savvy with that blog?

Valerie: Just to not be careless. Don’t make decisions that risk yourself or others. Don’t drink, take medications or do drugs and then get behind the wheel. This is real life. You’re not invincible, and the damage done can be irreversible. The effects are as real today as they were 20 years ago. Our lives were forever changed. Don’t allow yourself to make a selfish and irresponsible decision like the man who hit my parents did. Please think of me the next time you are out drinking and trying to decide if you should drive.

Savvy: What happened to the guy who hit your parents? Was he killed?

Valerie: Of course not! He wasn’t even hurt.

Savvy: He has to live with the knowledge of what he did. Speaking of your family, are they supportive of your modeling?

Valerie: My family is extremely supportive of my modeling, and they get excited for me. Sometimes I think they get a little more excited than I do. (Laughs) They make me feel good when I accomplish something.

Savvy: What would you do with a million bucks if the readers chose you as the ISH winner from 2007 to send to Sydney to compete in our global search for the world’s most beautiful woman?

Valerie: One thing is I would buy is my local animal shelter and turn it into a no-kill shelter because right now they euthanize. I’m a big animal lover, and most of the people I associate with are too. I think the way you treat animals says a lot about who you are.

Savvy: How did it feel to win “Is She Hot?”

Valerie: Exciting. The whole month was exciting because I took the lead all that time. I don’t even know how many months I was in it before winning. Thanks to everyone who voted for me. The people I’ve met on Savvy are awesome. It’s really neat. I feel like I have a whole new group of friends in my life.

Savvy: Tell us about your photo shoot.

Valerie: I flew up to Atlanta and shot with Danny Griffin. He was awesome. The make-up artist and the stylist were amazing too. Everything was top-notch. It was exciting to be a part of it, and the pictures turned out great. It was just a little cold. I’m a Florida girl! (Laughs)

Savvy: So you didn’t enjoy being sprayed with water? (Laughs) The funny thing is, the temperature dropped that day, but a couple of days before, and it was unseasonably warm for October, like, in the 90s.

Valerie: The way it felt that day was how winter feels in Florida. (Laughs) I wore a coat the whole time.

Savvy: How much modeling do you do?

Valerie: I do a lot of promotional modeling for companies like Budweiser and Harley Davidson. It’s fun. I enjoy it. I go to Harley events and bike nights. It’s been an awesome experience. They are a great company to work for.

Savvy: You attend the University of South Florida. What a year for those Bulls, eh?

Valerie: Yeah!

Savvy: What kind of guys do you go for?

Valerie: I look for the character traits. Girls always say they want a guy who is funny, smart, confident and all of that. I look for sincerity and being able to have a good friendship with him. Connecting on the same level where you are considerate of each other. Most relationships go sour because those aren’t the things that women look for. It’s the superficial things.

Savvy: I bet guys hit on you all of the time in clubs.

Valerie: I haven’t been in a situation where I haven’t had a boyfriend in a while. I don’t really meet guys in bars and start dating them. Every guy I’ve been with, we started out as friends and it eventually turned into a relationship. I’m always up for making new friends, though. I feel like you should really get to know the person you’re with before it gets serious.

Savvy: Do you have any rules on what a guy has to do before you let your guard down and share an intimate moment with him?

Valerie: There are too many rules in life, so none for that. You just go with the feeling. It’s a case-by-case thing.

Savvy: What’s something a dude can do to ruin any chance of getting with you?

Valerie: Be a douchebag. (Laughs) If I go somewhere and someone walks up to me and gives me a cheesy line or says something to make me think they are not respecting me, I’m not going to be responsive. Treat me like a person. I have to enjoy your company. It goes from there

Savvy: Have you ever had any jerky boyfriends or cheaters?

Valerie: Oh yeah. When people are unfaithful, it is because they are insecure with themselves or within their relationship. Or else very, very selfish.

Savvy: You said you don’t date unless someone is your friend. Would you ever date an Internet friend if you became single?

Valerie: I wouldn’t rule out dating a guy I met on the Internet. I know people who’ve gotten to know each other online so I think it is possible.

Savvy: What about showing skin? Would you take it all off for the camera?

Valerie: I’m not against girls who do nudity, but I personally would not do something like Playboy.

Savvy: Seeing you in a swimsuit is enough of a feast for the eyes, and you've got a great personality too! Thanks for continuing to be a part of the Savvy Nation community.

_______

On the Web:

http://friends.savvy.com/profiles/profile.aspx?p=112780 (Ask Valerie to become your friend)

Credits: Photography by Danny Griffin; Produced by Candace Rae; interview, story and videography by Steven Stiefel; Make-Up and Hair by Jodi Gross/Jodi to the Max; Styling and Fashion Design by Greg Brown; Photo Assisting by Zack Robinson; video edited by Daniel Parkinson; shot on location at Dewey Sadka’s home in Atlanta, Ga.