By Omowunmi Adewuyi
Jennifer Lynn Lopez, popularly known as “J. Lo,” was born July 24, 1969, in the New York City borough of the Bronx.
J.Lo attended Catholic schools, including Holy Family School for her
elementary education and the all-girls Preston High School.
She was an athletic kid who ran track and was on her school’s softball
team. But her favorite hobbies were music and dance.

Lopez dropped out of college after one semester to pursue a full-time
dance career which left her parents unhappy.
However, it was not long before Lopez got her first break. In 1990, Lopez
won a national competition and earned a spot dancing on the popular Fox
sketch comedy series” In Living Color” as one of the “Fly Girls.”
Lopez’s first movie was the critically acclaimed drama “Mi Familia” in 1995.
She also appeared in “Money Train” that same year.
J. lo’s breakout role arrived in the 1997 movie “Selena”. Her resulting
performance earned widespread praise, including a Golden Globe
nomination.
Lopez also made history as the first Latina actor to earn $1 million for a
movie role.
She went on to star in a number of thrillers and action dramas, including
“Anaconda” (1997), “U Turn” (1997), “Out of Sight” (1998), and “The Cell”
(2000), and she gained widespread praise for “The Wedding Planner”
(2001), her successful first attempt at romantic comedy.
Lopez’s most recent movies are “Shotgun Wedding” (2023), the Netflix
thriller “The Mother” (2023), and the sci-fi action movie “Atlas”, released
this year.

Lopez came to prominence within the music industry following the release
of her debut studio album “On the 6” (1999) which spawned the number
one hit single If You Had My Love.
Her contributions to the music industry have garnered her numerous
achievements including two Grammy Award nominations; two Latin
Grammy Award nominations; three American Music Awards and the
estimated sale of over 55 million records worldwide.

Outside of her work in the entertainment industry, J. Lo advocates human
rights, vaccinations and is a supporter of Children Hospital Los Angeles.
Lopez has been married four times and is a mother of 16-year-old twins,
Max and Emma.