Meet Valencia Gamble | Actress

We had the good fortune of connecting with Valencia Gamble and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Valencia, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I’m originally from Baltimore, Maryland. My upbringing allowed me to survive the streets of Baltimore and focus on being successful in life. A lot of people don’t make it out of Baltimore, they get caught up in drugs, violence and everything else. My parents did an amazing job raising me they kept me out of the streets and in the books. They made sure that I knew right from wrong and I thank them for that. My parents are both Christians, so I was also raised in a God fearing household which also made me the type of person I am today as well. Although we didn’t have much, I never knew we didn’t have much because I had everything that I needed! A roof over my head, a family that loved and cared for me, food on the table, you name it. My parents are old school, so they didn’t take any nonsense or disrespect and so I took that same respect and applied it outside of the household, to others around me. I could have taken a whole different path, I’ve seen people that I’ve grown up with end up in very sticky situations. I am glad that I had parents who preyed on my success and not on my downfall.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am an actress, I’m very proud of my accomplishments so far. Even though I strive to reach the top, this is just the beginning. I’m extremely excited to see how my career gets better, I want to be able to say “I was just there and now look at where I am now” I want to be able to be a role model for others that strive to be actors but aren’t finding it easy. It’s definitely not easy but if I can show them my testimony of all the things I went through to get to that success, I will gladly do that. Especially the next generation of boys and girls that are trying to make it in Baltimore. I got to where I am today by determination, hard work, drive, talent and my support system. No it wasn’t easy, I always say that If something is easy to get, you will never learn to appreciate it when you have it. A big lesson I’ve learned along the way is that life is hard and what you’re going through doesn’t define who you are. It may seem like the whole world has bet against you, but as long as you don’t bet against yourself everything will get better with time. You may feel defeated at times but don’t allow defeat to be the end of the line, never give up, get back up and try again and again. Eventually all that hard work will pay off.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well it’s funny you asked because my best friend did come to visit back in July after we came back from my birthday trip in Puerto Rico. We went to the aquarium, the Coca Cola factory, Lenox mall, Paschal’s, Slutty Vegan, The Dancin’ Crepe and a few other restaurants that where in Macon where I currently reside. She wanted to go to the Farris wheel but it wasn’t open at the time. It pretty much rained the whole time she visited but the next time she comes there will be more fun in-store! I would take her to a few other places Ive been like the botanical gardens, Candytopia, a soul food restaurant called the Busy Bee cafe, the trap museum, Waffle House, the chic-fil-a that serves more than the average one does like burgers with pineapple, fried Okra, and more, the zoo and anything else fun we could find.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This is a hard one because I’ve had so many people help me on this journey. God, My friends, my family, and every production that’s given me a chance to show my acting abilities. I owe my thanks to them. First I owe it all to God because there were times where I didn’t feel like I would make it, but he’s always been there guiding me and showing me that it’s all going to be okay. Thank you to my family, without their constant love and support, I would probably be homeless and lost. Back in April I quit my job because I wanted to pursue acting full time and money started to run down, they all had my back, especially my mother! Even though I’d tell her I’m fine she wouldn’t take no for an answer because she knows how stubborn I am when it comes to asking for money. My family is always there to cheer me on and share my success with their friends. My friends encourage me a lot especially my best friends Nandita and Sonia. They are both doing incredible things which makes me want to do incredible things as well. I admire their hard work and dedication they both now have Dr. before their names so that inspires me a whole lot. And my other friends that I met here in Georgia keep me grounded. I am so thankful that I met them and formed a bond with them within such a short amount of time. We are all on the same journey so it’s nice to have other people to talk to that know exactly what you’re going through. And lastly to the productions that saw my audition tapes and thought I’d be perfect for the role, I’m forever grateful and I thank each and everyone for believing in me.

Instagram: Valencia Gamble

Youtube: Valencia Gamble

Image Credits
Fire Media (firegroupatl on Instagram) Ira Carmichael (iamiracarmichael on Instagram)