The story of is one of incredible resilience—a journey from a young girl in Texas scrounging for gas money with her mom to becoming a global icon and billionaire. Named after the legendary Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla, she began her career at just ten years old on Barney & Friends before skyrocketing to fame as the sarcastic, lovable wizard Alex Russo on Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place .