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Diane Guerrero Highlight
I didn't want to live in fear; I wanted to put myself out there. I wanted to be seen so that, eventually, I could be heard.
About Diane
- Her parents immigrated to America before she was born, but they never found a way to legally establish residency in the United States.
- When she was 14, she came home from school one day to find her house empty; a neighbor came over and told Diane her parents had been taken to jail.
- They were later deported back to Colombia, and Diane made the tough choice to stay in America without them.
- Even without the support of her family, she managed to make it through high school and college.
- After college, she wasn’t sure what to do with her life; thinking about her parents’ sacrifices, she decided to take a huge leap and try to make it as an actress.
- Says that her interest in acting came from a desire to be acknowledged—her parents had been overlooked and cast aside, so she wanted to make sure her voice was heard.
- Her breakout role came in 2013 when she was cast as Maritza Ramos in "Orange is the New Black"; since then, she’s also landed a major role in the television show, "Jane the Virgin."
- She recently wrote a book—called "In the Country We Love: My Family Divided"—about her parents' experiences and her life as the daughter of immigrants.
