Selena Gomez

Selena Marie Gomez, born 22 July 1992 at Grand Prairie Texas[1], is the daughter of Ricardo Joel Gomez[2] as well as the actress from Texas, Mandy Teefey. The name she was given is Selena Quintanilla after the Tejano artist who died in 1996. The mother she adopted is of Italian roots, and her Mexican father was born in Mexico. Her grandparents emigrated from Monterrey to Texas during the 1970s. [9] Of her heritage, Gomez has said she is "a proud third-generation American-Mexican"[10] and "My family does have quinceaneras, and we go to the communion church. We spend our Sundays playing in the parks or hosting barbecues. We are a faithful follower of all things Catholic. Gomez was fluent in Spanish from the age of seven. She was raised by her mother after the divorce of her parents at the age she was only five. [3][12] Gomez has two younger half-sisters and one stepbrother younger than her: Gracie Elliot Teefey, through Mandy as well as her second husband, Brian Teefey. and Victoria "Tori" and Marcus Gomez, through Ricardo and his second wife, Sara. In May of 2010 Gomez earned her high-school diploma through attending school at home. Gomez was born when her mother had just turned sixteen. Her family faced financial troubles throughout Gomez's childhood and her mother was struggling to provide for the pair. Gomez remembers that they were searching for quarters so that they could buy gas for their car. She later told her mother that the two would frequently walk to the nearest dollar supermarket to purchase spaghetti for dinner. Gomez is 18 and says, "I felt frustrated because my parents were not living together. I was unable to see the light in the tunnel. Where my mother was determined to help me get me a greater lifestyle. What I might have become had I not remained in Texas is something I worry about. She later said that her mother was "really sturdy" in her life. I was 16 and it had to have been a big burden. She gave up everything and worked three jobs to help me and sacrificed her an amazing life. Gomez had strong bonds between her as well as her parents. They were also instrumental in promoting Gomez on pageants. She has stated that her parents "raised" her until she became successful in the showbiz world.