Tell us about yourself.

My name is Shana and I am from Los Angeles, California. I am fifteen years old and currently a sophomore in high school. During my free time, I enjoy playing sports, such as volleyball and basketball.

What is your biggest dream?

My biggest dream is to become successful and give back to my family and friends who have helped shaped me into the person I am today. I would also like to be financially stable, and be happy with what I am doing. I would love to have a large platform and be a role model to others around me.

What does it mean to be your own kind of beautiful?

Being your own kind of beautiful means loving yourself from the inside first. You should not worry about how you look on the outside and embrace your flaws. You should be able to do what you want to do, regardless of what others think. You should not worry about how you will be perceived by society and others around you. Just being true to yourself, and loving yourself for who you are is beautiful.

What is your dream brand to model for?

Some dream brands I would like to model for would be Nike and Pacsun. I would love to model for any brand that supports body positivity, and does not discriminate against anyone. Modeling for clothing brands that have a large range of sizes for everyone, would be a great opportunity. As for products, they should be available to meet the needs of everyone who wants to purchase their products.

How would you describe your fashion style?

I would describe my fashion style as casual. I like to be comfortable in what I wear. Although I like to keep it casual, I am not afraid to step outside my comfort zone and try on new things.

How important is self-awareness and confidence to you in your everyday life?

Self awareness and confidence are extremely important to me in my everyday life. Growing up being bullied, I fully understand how self-awareness and confidence plays a huge role in my life. I have learned to believe in myself and not focus on every little thing someone has to say about me. Self-awareness is important to me because when I understand myself,  I can realize how unique I am. From there, I can embrace myself for who I am, and strive to improve myself in certain areas. Self-awareness can also help to boost my confidence. Having confidence in myself is important to me because I will not depend on others opinions on how I should look or act. This resulted in me knowing how to take criticism and improve.  Having confidence can change the way others view me, and especially how I view myself.

What makes you beautiful?

What makes me beautiful is how I treat myself and others. I like to be natural and stay true to myself. I like to keep it real, speaking from my heart. I enjoy helping others, whether it is listening to their problems, or just being there for them. I think my beauty comes from the inside which is really important to me.

What would you say to another girl your age who is struggling with their confidence?

Because I grew up getting bullied, I fully understand how it feels to struggle with confidence. Even today, I am still learning to have more confidence in myself. Confidence is not something you gain overnight, but I think it is something you learn to build on your own over a period of time. I think at some point everyone has dealt with the lack of confidence they had in themselves and over time, they have learned to overcome it. I would say to another girl my age who is struggling with their confidence to really focus on herself. She should reflect on what she feels about herself, and not what others may think of her. I would tell her to stay true herself and embrace what she was born with because no one can be her more than herself. beautiful is how I treat myself and others. I like to be natural and stay true to myself. I like to keep it real, speaking from my heart. I enjoy helping others, whether it’s listening to their