Valeria has given keynote presentations involving music and poetry at such major international locations as Rome, Italy; London and Coventry, England; Honolulu, Hawaii; Havana, Cuba; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Moscow, Russia. In the continental U.S. she has spoken and performed in many cities, including New York; Dallas; Memphis; Atlanta; Lexington, Kentucky; Scottsdale, Arizona; and Pensacola.

A recipient of numerous international grants, Valeria was a finalist for the Clarence Day Award for Research and Creative Activity. At Rhodes she chaired the Department of Modern Languages for eleven years. The Memphis YWCA honored her as a Woman Who Made a Difference. She has taught at Oberlin College, the University of Pittsburgh, Indiana University, Rhodes, and Texas Tech University; and internationally at Estudio Sampere (Cuba) and St. Petersburg State Economic University (Russia). Her activities as a career counselor and faculty mentor for creative activity shine through her sparkling interactions with audience members at the venues in which she gives keynote concerts.