El cuatro de abril/April 4th

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¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Joyce Giraud! (1975-        )

Photo from thehollywoodgossip.com, on a site
dedicated to her work on The Real Housewives of
Beverly Hill. Click HERE. 
An actress, model, beauty pageant contestant, and film and television producer born in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico, Joyce Giraud was raised by a single mother (her "hero") and discovered while working at a KFC drive-thru when a photographer asked her to model for an international campaign (read more HERE). By the age of 19, she had already earned two Bachelor's Degrees from La Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, one in Social Work and one in Special Education. Her modeling and beauty pageant work allowed her to travel around the world, and in 2001 she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her film and television career. She has appeared in many films and television shows since then. Married to Academy Award nominated producer Michael Ohoven, Giraud lives with her family (Ohoven and two boys, Leonardo (2010) and Michael (2011)) in Los Angeles. She is involved with many charities and works closely with the UNSECO Foundation for Children in need. In 2014, she opened a school in Senegal, Africa with the YOU Foundation for Children in Need. In the fall of 2017, she visited Puerto Rico to witness firsthand the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria, and she was then actively involved in raising funds for the island (read more HERE). She is the producer of the show Rica, Famosa, Latina (hear her speak about it, as well as her life and career (in Spanish), HERE).

For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

Other April 4th birthdays of note:

Rodolfo "Rudy" Fernández y Farrés (1985-       ): A basketball player from Spain who played in the NBA (Trail Blazers 2008-2011, Denver Nuggets 2012) before returning to Spain to play on their national team (and in professional leagues there). His older sister plays in the WNBA.

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