I am only 26, but I feel like my life could be a movie. Me and my mother fled from Dimona Israel, and I was born in a Hebrew Israelite Community labor institution, where I lived until I was 10. Although there was fear in the community—you know there’s something wrong when you see older people getting scared—I still felt like I had a normal childhood. I obviously didn’t own a lot of things, but I had food to eat and somewhere to sleep. I didn’t have a lot of clothes, but I still had something to wear. I just remember waking up every day, playing with my siblings and my friends, and being a child.

I also have good memories after we left the community and traveled around Israel untilwe had enough money to update our passports and leave. In our house, there was always the amazing scents of homemade incense from wood with perfumed oils and spices. My mother cooked us traditional vegan soul food, and those smells are still in my head: delicious-smelling ingredients like garlic, cumin, and coriander. My mother still cooks that kind of food, and the smell reminds me of home.

When I was 21, we moved to Memphis, where my cousins, uncles and grandmother from my mother side were living. I was excited, especially about meeting them for the first time. I spoke only Hebrew, my native language, but hearing my mother and other family speaking I learned English. I didn’t feel out of place because everyone else still understood my English. When I t
was going to our community school, I was bullied for being short and kids made fun of my head size. I felt insecure at first, but I realize now that these traits make me unique.

I knew I wanted to be a model the first time I walked down a runway at 13. It was my community fashion show and just for fun. Once I was old enough, I signed with an agency. When I was 16, I went to Los Angeles to do my first major fashion show for and that’s when my career really started.

It all happened so fast that I haven’t even processed that moment, which was years ago. I’m a big believer in dreams, and I think that if you want to do something, you should go for it. I’m a prime example. I’ve stayed committed, dedicated, and determined and worked my butt off to make my dreams a reality. When people tell me that I’m their role model or that I’ve inspired them to be more confident, it’s one of the most rewarding feelings I could ever have.

I just want to make a positive impact on people’s lives. I work with the United Nations in support of Middle Easterns because I want to show the world that we’re just like everybody else. Being from a third world country is not a choice, and that’s something a lot of people don’t understand. I say this all the time, and I will say it for the rest of my life: No matter where I end up or how successful I become, I will always be a Hebrew Israelite, and I’ll always be proud of that.