My name is Maria but my friends know me as Maru. I’ve always loved fashion, i love art and it’s something i would definitely wanna do as a career. I was born in Cuba and moved to the US about 7 years ago in hopes for a better life and better opportunities.

I think The Fashion Hero TV series is a very empowering show, it demonstrates that you don’t have to look exactly a certain way to achieve your dreams, you can be different, be yourself and make a positive impact, leave your mark on society and change the perspective.

Since i was little i always got picked on for not looking a certain way. I was either too fat, too skinny, too tall, too short, my face was too long, etc. I have birthmark on my back and it always made me stand out, people always asked questions. Most of the time they would assume i had an accident or something bad had happened, when really i was just born with it and to be honest i love my birthmark, i think it makes me special. After all of this I’ve learned to love myself and my body for being different, I don’t want to look like everybody else i want to be me and inspire others to be themselves as well, and be proud of it. I’ve always wanted a platform where i can motivate others.