Most models spend years building portfolios and networking before their first casting. You walked into a New York City casting call in 2022 with no agent, no portfolio, and no real plan. What were you thinking?
I wasn’t thinking much, honestly. I was just curious. I wanted to see what would happen. I had no roadmap, no industry connections. It was completely impulsive. But that single step ended up pivoting my entire life — and I think, in its own way, it’s challenged some ideas about who belongs in fashion.
Before fashion, you served in the U.S. Army, including deployment in wartime conditions. How does someone go from that to standing in front of a camera?
You know, it sounds like a dramatic shift, but I didn’t arrive in fashion trying to become someone else. I arrived already knowing who I was. The military gives you discipline, structure, accountability. But it also teaches you how fragile life is. You learn empathy fast. Those experiences shaped me in ways that don’t just disappear because I’m in a different industry now.
How does that military mindset translate to the fashion world — a world often built on chaos and constant reinvention?
I approach it with methodical calm. Scheduling. Prioritizing. I treat my career with the same seriousness I once gave my service. Runways may have replaced drills, but the mission-driven mindset remains. While the industry thrives on chaos, I bring structure to it.
You’ve said that visibility comes with responsibility. What does that mean to you?
I don’t see modeling as a platform for personal glorification. It’s a megaphone for something larger. I’ve lived between cultures and communities, and I’ve seen how easily difference can be misunderstood — but also how powerfully it can connect us. My goal is simple but maybe radical in a polarized world: make empathy louder than judgment.
How do you define unity in that context?
Unity doesn’t mean sameness. It means respect. Diversity isn’t a threat — it’s the point.
Your career is gaining momentum — magazine features, agency attention, an upcoming walk at New York Fashion Week. How do you define success?
It’s not about fame. It’s about earning what you build. I want to make sure that whatever platform I gain is used for something meaningful.
You’re also developing initiatives to support children with special needs and underserved communities. Are those projects separate from your modeling work?
Not at all. They’re part of the same identity that once wore a uniform. Service, to me, is not a phase. It’s a through-line. The projects aren’t side hobbies — they’re core to who I am.
People who work with you describe you as calm, grounded, and unexpectedly warm in an industry often driven by nerves and ego. Do you notice that about yourself?
I think people feel at ease around me. And that matters. I’ve been through conflict, I’ve learned discipline, I’ve had lived experiences that taught me to stay steady. That quiet steadiness — I think it stands out far more than any pose ever could.
As you prepare to walk at New York Fashion Week, what does this moment represent for you?
I’m not someone who left her past behind. I carried it forward. I’m turning a life of service into a life of visibility, and hopefully, turning a runway into something that finally feels like it has a purpose.
