La Quinta Teen Voice of One of Disney’s First Latina Princesses

Jenna Ortega is the voice behind one of Disney’s first Latina princesses, Princess Isabel. She is one of the stars of Disney’s "Elena of Avalor" and she calls the Coachella Valley home. KMIR News spoke with Jenna about her latest gig and why she is proud to represent the Latino community.

You may have seen her on several T.V. shows. As young Jane on “Jane the Virgin” and as Haley on Disney Channel’s "Stuck in the Middle" and you are now able to hear our very own La Quinta resident Jenna Ortega voice a very special character on the new Disney animated series “Elena of Avalor.” Ortega voices Princess Isabel, little sister to Princess Elena. "It’s an honor, everyone in that cast is so talented and sweet," Jenna said.

The animated series tells the story of the first Latina princess, who saves her kingdom from an evil sorceress, with the help of her little sister of course. A role which is a dream come true for Ortega. "I’m very grateful, because when I was growing up, I didn’t have a princess I could relate to, so now girls that look like me can now call themselves Disney princesses is something that I’m very proud of," she said.

The Coachella Valley native says it was the dream of becoming a role model that inspired her. In fact, she says growing up in the valley also influenced her to keep fighting for her dreams. She said many people did not believe she could succeed in her acting career and often questioned her sacrifices. “They would ask me, why would you waste all your time driving back and forth to LA, when you might not even get a job? It just motivated me even more," she said.

Although being a T.V. star does take up most of her time, she says she always has time to enjoy what she calls the beautiful valley. "I like to go to The River, the acquatic center, Wet N Wild and just playing soccer at the park and just hanging out with my family and friends, it’s my home," she said.

Jenna says she plans on living in the valley for a couple of years. In the future, she hopes to become a T.V. producer and director.