Valerie's Story

I fell in love with the United States when I moved from France to New York City as a student at the age of 24. After landing a public relations job there, I fell in love with John and married him. Finally, I fell in love with Winston-Salem when we moved here in 2003–and then proudly became an American citizen in 2006. 

 

Over two decades later, John and I still live in the same house, the parents of three amazing children: A daughter who graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2024 and is applying to law school to be an immigration attorney; a son still in college here in North Carolina at UNC Charlotte; and a daughter who’s a senior at Reynolds High School, now applying to colleges. All three attended The Downtown School, and our two oldest kids attended Reynolds High School and Atkins High School.

 

As an entrepreneur, I've been running my own successful business since founding Zoë b Organic (named for our oldest child) in 2005. Today my company imports baby pacifiers handmade with natural rubber from a small family-owned company in Italy. 

 

Over the years, I've been increasingly involved in our local community. I'm proud to have served as board president of Piedmont Environmental Alliance (PEA) for two years and, more recently, as PTA president for The Downtown School for three years, including during COVID. 

 

In 2023, I helped found Community for Public Schools, a non-partisan group of parents, educators, and other community members who are passionate about supporting WS/FCS. Our group organized a rally in June 2023 to ask the County Commissioners for more funding for our public schools. We organized a teacher-lounge makeover at Carter High School, followed by another at Easton Elementary, and have been bringing lunch and breakfast to the faculty and staff of three deserving schools (Carter High School, Konnoak Middle School, and Easton Elementary School) since the 2023/24 school year.