I had to live with the models in one big house for two months, 24 hours a day. Only a few of them actually learned how to sign... I couldn't really communicate with anybody, and I felt isolated.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
All of a sudden I was living what is perceived to be the model life. It was just full-on, 24 hours a day. It was work all the time. And there's always a party to go to.
There were a few models who used to stay close to my building. I used to admire them and tell my friends that I did. Those models told me get into modeling.
When I learned to sign and speak at the same time, the whole world opened up to me. That's the beauty of encouraging kids who are deaf to use whatever it takes to communicate.
My mom was a model. She met my dad when he was building the Ritz-Carlton in Colorado and she was modeling there. Although we were very blessed, my parents never wanted us to believe we didn't have to work. They didn't want us to think that our situation would get us through life.
In modelling, it's very hard to keep in touch with the people you knew when you started.
I learned American Sign Language in college and seemed to pick it up rather quickly. I really love to sign and wish that I had more friends to sign with.
I even lived on campus to get the college experience. I had five roommates and I still keep in touch with them while I'm on the road.
It came home to me indelibly that I was never going to change anything in America by walking around carrying a sign. It was a great revelation. It saved me a lot of anxiety and a lot of wasted energy.
I was an accidental model. One day I was asked to me a model by a neighbor who was short on models. Then I got into TV.
I've never hung around with any models. I've always hung around with my friends from school and kept myself to myself.