Valerie's mother, who was a Rwandan designer and seamstress, met her father, an American, while he was working in international relief efforts and development. After spending her early childhood in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and three other countries throughout Africa, Valerie, as well as her parents, moved to Arizona. Later, her family moved to Baltimore, MD, where she studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art. While studying in Baltimore, Valerie traveled back to Rwanda, where much of her mother's side of the family had been killed in the Rwandan Genocide. This trip inspired her work as a transnational artist, including her thesis project.