Literary and Media Stars: People who wrote the book on the literary and media scenes Page: 2 of 5
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Sports
Fashion
Movies
Charity
Media
Business
Food
Arts
Part-time Austinites
Memoriam
The alphabetical list
The petite El Paso native with the blinding smile visits local schools, serves as mistress of
ceremonies at charity events and volunteers with do-good groups all over Austin. Dear to her
heart is the Muscular Dystrophy Association, which she has been involved with for seven years,
hosting the Jerry Lewis Telethon in El Paso before taking over here.
"I wouldn't want to spend my Labor Day weekend doing anything else," says Valles, 30.
Valles also works with the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association and
the Aguila Awards, which honor Hispanics in Texas. She's especially proud of a $2,000
scholarship she started for students at her alma mater, Bel Air High School in El Paso.
"I'm not looking for the highest GPA, and they don't have to be Hispanic," Valles says. "The only
requirement is that they leave town for college. I want them to step outside their comfort zone."
Co-anchoring the news with Robert Hadlock gives Valles a degree of celebrity.
"It's a very strange power," she says. "You have to be careful and give the right message. But it is
rewarding to be a good role model, especially with low-income kids. I tell them their
disadvantages are advantages. When you've been given everything, you don't have that hunger
for things to be better."
Valles comes from humble origins, too. Her father was a teacher who became an abusive
alcoholic and left the family when Michelle was 9. Her mother went to work as a janitor.
Valles came to the University of Texas on a one-way plane ticket and worked at the Jalisco Bar to
support herself. After graduating, she returned to El Paso and advanced from part-time reporter
to weeknight anchor at the NBC station affiliate.
As for the future, Valles says she'd be "perfect on 'The View,' " but has no plans to leave Austin.
She isn't longing for marriage and a family - and she feels guilty about that.
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Holloway, Diane. Literary and Media Stars: People who wrote the book on the literary and media scenes, article, May 10, 2006; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1983258/m1/2/: accessed July 12, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.