<P> Selena Marie Gomez was born in Grand Prairie, Texas on July 22, 1992, to Ricardo Joel Gomez and former stage actress Amanda Dawn "Mandy" Cornett . Gomez was named after Tejano singer and actress Selena Quintanilla - Pérez, who died in 1995 . Her father is of Mexican descent while her mother, who was adopted, has some Italian ancestry . Regarding her Hispanic heritage, Gomez has stated, "My family does have Quinceañeras, and we go to the communion church . We do everything that's Catholic, but we don't really have anything traditional except (that we) go to the park and have barbecues on Sundays after church ." Gomez's parents divorced when she was five years old, and she remained with her mother . Selena has two younger half - sisters: Gracie Elliot Teefey through Amanda and her second husband Brian Teefey, and Victoria "Tori" Gomez through Ricardo and his wife Sara Gomez . She earned her high - school diploma through homeschooling in May 2010 . </P> <P> When Gomez was born, her mother was sixteen years old . The family had financial troubles during Gomez's childhood, with her mother struggling to provide for the pair . At one point, Gomez recalled, they had to search for quarters just to get gas for their car . Her mother later recalled that the two would frequently walk to their local dollar store to purchase spaghetti for dinner . Gomez stated, "I was frustrated that my parents weren't together, and never saw the light at the end of the tunnel where my mom was working hard to provide a better life for me . I'm terrified of what I would have become if I'd stayed (in Texas)." She later added that "(My mom) was really strong around me . Having me at 16 had to have been a big responsibility . She gave up everything for me, had three jobs, supported me, sacrificed her life for me ." Gomez had a close relationship with her grandparents as a child, and appeared in various pageants growing up . Her grandparents often took care of her while her parents finished their schooling, and the pair went as far as stating that they "raised her" up until she found success in the entertainment industry . </P> <P> Gomez first gained an interest in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry watching her mother prepare for stage productions . She began auditioning for various roles, meeting Demi Lovato during an audition for Barney & Friends . Both Gomez and Lovato were later selected to appear on the series in 2002, with Gomez portraying the character of Gianna . The show was her first experience in acting, with Gomez recalling, "I was very shy when I was little (...) I didn't know what' camera right' was . I didn't know what blocking was . I learned everything from Barney ." Gomez appeared in thirteen episodes of the show between 2002 and 2004, though the show's producers released her as she was getting "too old" for the series . While working on the series, Gomez had a cameo role in the film Spy Kids 3 - D: Game Over (2003) and the made - for - television film Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire (2005). Gomez made a guest appearance in a 2006 episode of the Disney series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody . </P> <P> Gomez was given a recurring role on the popular Disney Channel series Hannah Montana in 2007, portraying pop star Mikayla . During this time, Gomez filmed pilot episodes for two potential Disney Channel series; the first, titled Arwin!, a spin - off of the Suite Life series, while the second titled Stevie Sanchez was a spin - off of the series Lizzie McGuire . She later auditioned for a role in the Disney series Wizards of Waverly Place, ultimately winning the lead role of Alex Russo . Upon receiving the role, Gomez and her mother moved to Hollywood, Los Angeles, California; Lovato and her family also moved to Hollywood, hoping to achieve similar success to Gomez . Wizards of Waverly Place saw Gomez portraying a teenage girl in a family of wizards who own a restaurant in New York . The series quickly became a hit for the network, propelling Gomez to more mainstream success . The series received numerous nominations and awards . Gomez recorded the theme song for the series, titled "Everything is Not What It Seems". Gomez later appeared in the music video for the song "Burnin' Up", which the Jonas Brothers had recorded and released, and later, she also appeared in an episode of the reality series Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream . </P>

When did selena gomez first appear on tv