Moving to the United States wasn’t something that she was necessarily planning on, at least, not soon, at the time, but soon after she did, tragedy struck and changed everything. Sofia’s brother, Rafael, was just 27-years old in 1998 when he was shot in an attempted kidnapping.
Since her family was well-known and successful in the area, it made them a prime target. Unfortunately, Rafael was killed and became a member of the infamous 27 Club.
A Humble Upbringing
Growing up, she was raised by her mother, a stay-at-home mom, and her father, a cattle rancher, on their family farm in Colombia. She lived with her parents and four siblings, along with an array of different animals.
But as she grew older, others began to take notice of her appearance, and she was asked to begin modeling. In the ‘90s, she decided to make her way to the U.S to live the American dream – and that’s exactly what she did.
She Could Have Been a Dentist?
It’s kind of hard to imagine Sofia Vergara working your everyday 9-5 job. Take, for instance, your local dentist's office. She almost went that route before winding up in Hollywood, and she even spent three years studying in dental school back in Colombia.
It’s no wonder she has perfect teeth – she should; she certainly knows how to care for them more than most people in the world! But before she would’ve graduated, life in her home country was flipped upside down, and she knew she had to make some changes in her life.
One in a Million
One day, Sofia was walking along a beach in Colombia, as she’d done a million times before. But this day would be the one that changed her life forever. A photographer happened to scout her and introduce her to the world of modeling and TV work.
Oftentimes, predators use this kind of scenario to lure people into dangerous (or at the least, scam) situations where they wind up having their money stolen or worse. But then, there are those one in a million times where one random encounter creates a world for you that you could never have even imagined.
Her Big Break
Sometimes, the prospect of becoming a model or celebrity drives you to jump right into things, but this wasn’t one of those times. The future star had some serious reservations about the gig, and she was worried about what those in her Catholic church and school were going to think about her.
Luckily for her (and for everyone else), they gave her the go-head, and she was off to shoot her very first television commercial – a Colombian ad for Pepsi. Little did she know that was going to be the start of a new life for her.