By Natalia Avilez –

With over 16 films under her thumb and a singing career on the rise, Liana “Roxxy” Mendoza, 25, is a Latina that is bulldozing her way into Hollywood.  Born in Barcelona, Spain and raised in East Los Angeles, this actress/singer  is not only a mixture of various ethnicities but also a woman of many talents. Her self-determination and  love for both music and film has not only allowed her to share the big screen with names such as Paul Rodriguez and Richard Dreyfuss but has also landed her a record label with OutKast’s Sleepy Brown.

“Singing opens up my soul and heals me,” she said during our recent interview.  “While acting helps me to find my true self and become less judgmental of others.”

Even though Mendoza is breaking down barriers for Latinas, her own journey was self-driven.  She told us during a recent interview she did not get to experience the luxury that most kids have when they want a life in entertainment because parents were not very supportive.  Despite the lack of support, Liana turned that situation into a life lesson and continued to pursue her dreams.

“My parents helped me to learn something,” she explained.  “Though they were not being supportive; they taught me to rely on myself and I didn’t let them stop me.”

Although Mendoza’s search for stardom started at an early age, her passion goes beyond her career. Much like her professional voice, her personal one is one that carries much depth.

Mendoza is involved in many programs for troubled youth including a program she runs called Students Run LA at Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services.

“I love helping and feeling like I am part of something that is bigger than me or my career,” she said. “It gives me a sense of perspective on life. I got involved with these organizations because I love people.”

As far as her future plans for her acting career are concerned, Liana said comedy was  her niche.

“That has always been a big part of who I am, as a person, and in real life,” she said.  “I am a goof ball.”

She would love star in a romantic comedy with Bradley Cooper, Ashton Kutcher, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez or her role model, Salma Hayek.

In her musical career, Mendoza’s fearless alter ego “Roxxy” plans to release her album, which she describes as “sexy rock” for fall of 2010.

“My future goal is to let as many people on this planet know I exist so that I can touch more lives with my music, my acting, my love, and my light,” said Mendoza.

During her down time, Mendoza likes to relax her mind with meditation and prayer. On any given day, when she is not working, of course, you will find Mendoza at the beach, reading a book,  practicing taekwondo and katsugo te.

The advice that she would like to give to women in her shoes is, “To know what you want. Because if you want it you won’t care how long or hard you have to work to get there.  Lastly, to dream with your eyes wide open and make it happen for yourself, because no one is going to do it for you.”

If you would like to see more of Mendoza, you can check her out in one of her many films or in Cinemax’s recent hit series, “Zane’s Sex Chronicles.”

Natalia Avilez is a writer based in Chicago.