Gabrielle Ruiz

Gabrielle was born to Eduardo and Sylvia Ruiz in Edinburg, Texas. Both parents are of Mexican heritage. She discovered her love of performing at a young age through dance. She was trained in dance at Melba's School of Dance and the Texas Association for Teachers of Dance. She also took vocal lessons and was part of the Texas All-State Choir. She attended public schools through high school, and graduated from Oklahoma City University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance in 2007. While in college she was a member of the American Spirit Dance Company, OCU Rhythms, numerous musicals, work-study, and the Alpha Phi women's fraternity.After college, Ruiz landed various roles on both television and Broadway. Her breakthrough role was playing Valencia Perez on The CW comedy-drama series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of Hamilton, saw her perform in his musical In the Heights and referred her to the CXG show producers. On the basis of his recommendation, she got an audition and then landed the part.