Verizon Wireless Hosts San Jose, California, Teen's $45K Dream Party

SAN JOSE, CA — Athaly Ramos could not hide her excitement as she stepped onto the stage with hip-hop singer Sean Kingston. He greeted her with flowers and serenaded her with his mega hit “Beautiful Girl.”

“My knees were shaking,” says Athaly, “I couldn’t believe Sean Kingston performed at a party for me!”

Athaly won Verizon Wireless’ “My Fabulous 15,” a contest open to all teens throughout cities in California, as well as Denver, Portland and Phoenix. After more than six million text message votes and 500,000 online votes were tallied, Athaly’s count topped them all, earning her the grand prize—a Quinceañera (“Quince”) party valued at approximately $45,000.

“We feel very proud of Athaly and our unique Verizon Wireless initiative,” said Oscar Madrid, director of marketing for Verizon Wireless. “This was our first bilingual and bicultural marketing campaign targeting U.S. Hispanic teens, and grew out of the company’s commitment to honor the cultural heritage of the Hispanic community.”

Athaly came to the United States from Mexico with her family at the age of seven, and the contest demonstrated the importance of family in her life. Athaly’s relatives voted heavily in the contest. In fact, some family members came all the way from Mexico, and voted for Athaly day and night for a week in a successful effort to help her celebrate her “Quince” in style.

Since the 14-year-old was crowned winner of the Verizon Wireless “My Fabulous 15” contest on August 1, Athaly has been working closely with a personal party planning team, organizing every detail of her “Quince.” She chose champagne colored linens, pink floral centerpieces, and a gourmet menu.

Athaly made a grand entrance into the ballroom of the Double Tree Hotel in San Jose, wearing a champagne and light pink princess dress, with a sparkling tiara and flawless hair and make-up. Two hundred family members and guests greeted her with applause, joining her in celebration. .

“This has been the best night of my life,” said Athaly as she continued to sing along to Kingston’s lyrics.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 68.7 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 70,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, go to: www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

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