Valerie Hashim was born in Costa Mesa and raised in Bakersfield, California where she graduated from Bakersfield High School. For ten years she was a seamstress for a local ballet company. During that time she made costumes for a wide range of shows including Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake. She was also the Vice President of Kern Classical Ballet Company. She is currently semi-retired and is the Secretary for KDA. She enjoys her work as a fabric artist and sells her crafts at local vendor fairs.