I grew up in the South Bronx, yet I still had the courage to follow my dreams of becoming a fashion model. I made a conscious decision to journey to Europe. My first stop was Paris. And,yes, I faced a lot of rejection, but I put my ego to the side and continued to soldier on in my pursuit of becoming a working model. I finally got signed with Elite Paris and from that point on, it was a domino effect. I started to work in Milan, London, Amsterdam, Germany and Austria. I appeared in magazines such as German Elle, German Max and Italian Amica and became the face of Africa Absolut Vodka. Blessings continued to come, in which I graced the catwalks and showrooms of Yves St. Laurent, Issey Miyake, Thierry Mugler, Azzedine Alai, Jean Paul Gaultier and John Galliano.

My dreams and passions have always been driven by fashion. And, now at 53 years of age, I want to reenter the fashion business that I love. It may be hard, because it's a youth driven industry. But, I won't let that deter me.

And, lastly, I can make a difference as the next Fashion Hero by tearing down the stigma of age attached to the modeling industry. Models should be able to represent people of all ages and feel confident in doing so. And, I'm that model now at age 53.