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Gomez Will Play 1996 Business Graduate Silvia Vasquez-Lavado, Peruvian Mountaineer and Activist
Above: MU graduate Silvia Vasquez-Lavado posted an announcement about her book and movie based on the memoir on Instagram earlier this November.
None other than pop superstar Selena Gomez will portray one of Millersville University’s own on the big screen: 1996 graduate Silvia Vasquez-Lavado.
The film is based on Vasquez-Lavado’s forthcoming memoir, “In the Shadow of the Mountain,” which is slated to be published in 2022. The memoir tells the tale of Vasquez-Lavado, a native of Peru, becoming the first openly gay woman to compete the Seven Summits, a mountaineering challenge to climb the highest mountain in each continent – certainly no small feat.
Gomez commented this on Vasquez-Lavado’s Instagram post where she shared the announcement: “I am beyond honored to tell your story. You’re a complete inspiration ❤️.”
Gomez is the second most followed person on the app, with 195 million followers to date. She also retweeted the Hollywood Reporter’s exclusive announcement about the upcoming film on November 11.
Above: Millersville University alumna Silvia Vasquez-Lavado was featured on the explore tab of Twitter in November 2020.
Vasquez-Lavado was a student at Millersville University in the 90s, and according to the University’s official files, graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting. She also participated in the University’s student-run radio station, WIXQ, according to MU’s records.
Since graduating, Vasquez-Lavado has gone to collect many impressive accolades: according to her LinkedIn profile, she worked at both eBay and PayPal, and went on to found her own non-profit called Courageous Girls, which is dedicated to “. . . healing and empowering survivors of violence and abuse through holistic therapeutic programs,” according to their website and LinkedIn page.
For more updates from Vasquez-Lavado, follow her on Instagram here.
