She began her career working as a communication officer for Taller Visual, a small nonprofit organization specializing in the research and preservation of photographic records of Ecuador’s cultural heritage. She participated in several research projects focused on finding and preserving the first images of the indigenous peoples of Ecuador, and this was the beginning of her permanent commitment to the struggles of indigenous organizations in Ecuador. In 1992 she worked at CONAIE, Confederation of Indian peoples of Ecuador as Press officer during the campaign for the commemoration of 500 years of Indian resistance. In 1996 she was Press officer for the Indian candidate, Miguel Lluco during the election campaign that brought him to the Chamber of Deputies of Ecuador.

Then Valeria turned to journalism. Between 1997 and 2001, she worked in Ecuador as a reporter for the TV station, SÍ TV. She was also a freelance journalist for the daily newspaper Hoy.

In France, Valeria obtained a master’s degree in Communication and Political Science, while working as a freelance for several daily newspapers in different countries, such as El Universo (Ecuador), and La Prensa (Panama), Super (United Arab Emirates) or Deutsche Welle TV-Latin American section (Germany).  She also worked for two years in the Latin American section of Radio France Internationale (RFI) as a news anchor, reporter, and editor of the website.