Valery M. Ortiz

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Ortiz grew up in Orlando, Florida. An early love of dancing led to major roles in local theater productions. Her passion and talent eventually brought her to Los Angeles, where she immediately found success hosting a local television program. Other acting and hosting opportunities quickly followed. Along the way, Ortiz was named one of Maxim Espanol's "50 Most Beautiful People". Valery Ortiz stars as "Raquel" in the new VH1 one-hour scripted series Hit the Floor. Upon it's premiere, it became the highest-rated freshman scripted cable series among the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic, where it averages a 1.2 rating. Ortiz is known to millions of young people as cheerleader Madison Duarte on the groundbreaking teen drama South of Nowhere. Over three seasons, the series earned loyal fans and garnered critical praise. The show won the prestigious Humanitas Prize® as well as three consecutive GLAAD Media Award® nominations for "Outstanding Drama Series" as well as WGA® and Teen Choice® Award nominations. The actress then stepped into the role of "Lupe" a struggling young mother in Robert Townsend's original web series Diary of a Single Mom, which aired for three seasons. When not working, Ortiz lends her time to organizations like the Best Friends Org, Special Needs Network, Inc. for Autistic Kids, and Eva Longoria's Padres Contra El Cancer.