Icons In The Now

  Cassie is a former World's Miss Tourism Beauty international titleholder. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Acting from Illinois State University in December 2017. Since graduating, Cassie has stayed active with her acting and modeling career having appeared in a national commercial for Sear's and walking in New York Fashion Week along with modeling at Chicago, Atlanta, and Dallas Marts. Cassie was recently published in the first plus size model edition of Lyun Magazine. She enjoys teaching runway classes through her organization Cassie’s Catwalk that raises funds for the Association for Size Diversity and Health. What do you do and why do you do it? •I currently work as a plus-size model, actress, and talent manager assistant for Everything Formals Model Management. I studied acting at Illinois State University because acting has always been a passion of mine. Through acting, other doors opened for me and modeling fell into my lap! I love all things entertainmen

"My name is Eliza Cole, I am 20 years old from South Carolina, a true Southern Belle. I am a full-time cosmetologist with dreams and aspirations to be a full-time model. I competed in several local pageants as well as my high school pageant. When I was a Senior in high school, I was a Senior Model Rep for a local photographer. This is when the modeling bug hit me. I loved being in front of a camera where my fashion skills came out.  My goal is to be a catalog model, but if this does not work out, I would love to continue modeling as well as photoshoots."   What do you do and why do you do it? Currently, I am a Cosmetologist assistant and makeup artist. My plan is to one day be a full-time model, doing hair and makeup on the side. I started modeling locally through a photographer friend who suggested I try out for the local fashion shows. This led me to several local runway modeling opportunities. Modeling for me is all about the presentation, the presentation of hair, makeup,

"My name is Marina Siniciene! I am an award-winning runway model, pageant queen and aspiring entrepreneur! Some of my accolades include:  Diva Next Door Finalist 2017 Top Model Ireland Finalist 2016/17 Miss Bikini Ireland 2017 Mrs. Emerald Isle 2020 2nd Runner Up and Director's Choice 2020  2 International Runway Achievements and Recognition Awards 'Aspiring Beauty with Purpose Queen' and 'Miss Congeniality of the Year!' I am originally from Latvia but have lived in Ireland for around 15 years with my beautiful 13 year old daughter. My background work experience is in fashion design, hospitality and sales. I finished University and studied International Hospitality and Tourism Management, Art and Design ! When was in secondary school took part in Pageants and twice won second place in "Miss School " pageant. I wrote my own book at the age of 14, participated in poetry club, chorus, the school olympic games and dance team. At the moment, I have 3 cover

  "My name is Charlotte Lister. I’m 33 and the current Ms Diamond South Yorkshire which leads to Ms Diamond U.K. and then Ms Regency International. I volunteer for my local children’s hospice and support my local cancer charity. I’m a mum to a daughter who is 10 this year and a fur baby called Hugo. I’m a college student and I have studied a number of courses this year both in the pageant platform and also to benefit my future career which is to become a teaching assistant. When I’m not studying or in pageant land I love travelling but to Covid this has been put on hold until the virus is under control. Once it’s safe to do so I’ll be back travelling again next year I’m due to travel to Iceland, Prague and Venice but only if it’s safe to do so. In my spare time, I love spending time with my family as well as reading and socializing with my friends." What do you do and why do you do it? As the current Ms Diamond South Yorkshire I work with a local children’s hospice which incl

"I was born and raised in Philadelphia. I graduated from Kutztown University with a B.A. in Communication Studies and a dual minor in Professional Writing and Public Relations. Currently, I’m a Promotional Model which has allowed me to enhance my skills in interpersonal communication.  My start in pageantry began 2 years ago. My mission has been to represent my state and I finally got that opportunity when I won the title of Miss Pennsylvania Earth USA back in April. Recently, I had a clothing drive where I was able to donate to 5 homeless shelters in PA and Planet said. I’m grateful to be able to represent my state and spread awareness about the dangers of textile waste." What do you do and why do you do it?  I am Miss Pennsylvania Earth USA 2020. I wanted to be a voice and advocate in my community. Pageantry isn’t popular in Philadelphia and wanted to bring more awareness to environmental issues in my hometown. How does what you do benefit others?   Respecting and caring fo

  "Coming to you from Chattanooga Tennessee, I am a U.S. Navy veteran, have a B.A. in Psychology with minors in Women’s Studies and Photography. I’m also working on my Asian history certification and various foreign languages. I’ve been crazy blessed to work on productions for CBS, the CW, Disney, and various other tv shows, movies, commercials, print modeling work, and music videos! I’m an aspiring author working on a cookbook. I recently started competing in beauty pageants. My next project for domestic violence is my website. Most of my downtime is spent playing with my niece and nephew. "  What do you do and why do you do it? My name is Molly Seay. I’m an actress, ambassador, beauty queen, student, and advocate. My platform is combatting domestic violence through education. While on active duty in the Navy, I was in an abusive relationship. It took a year for me to leave him, but it took about a decade to heal from him, and I healed relatively fast. I went back to school

  Amy Goldizen is a growth and resiliency coach serving driven women entrepreneurs who are ready to uplevel their success by turning their obstacles into opportunities. She holds a degree in psychology and is a certified life coach, owns a profitable 6-figure digital marketing agency, and is a mother to 4 (and one on the way)! A survivor of domestic violence, she has broken a familial cycle of addiction, suicide, neglect, and abuse my utilizing the power of mindset mastery and perspective reframing to eliminate limiting beliefs about the self, the circumstance, and the world around her - and she teaches her students to do the same. Operating off of the principle that success isn't defined by circumstance, but rather how we react to it, she serves as an inspiration and glimmer of hope to anyone who spends just 5 minutes listening to her message.  Why do you do what you do?  I'm a survivor of domestic violence, who has broken a familial cycle of addiction, suicide, neglect, and a

  Deanna is a Senior Account Executive with Careerbuilder in her career. As a certified Personal trainer & dietician, she competes in the figure division with the NPC bodybuilding committee. She also is the founder and Host of Label-Free Podcast streaming on 10 different audio platforms and has a channel on YouTube interviewing her dynamic guests. Deanna is extremely family-focused and believes in those strong foundational values. She is a former fashion designer, was a finalist in Style Chicago's Cadillac Design Challenge a few years back, and also has her own skincare line she developed with her Mother. Deanna is passionate about charities and giving back in all aspects of her life but most importantly raising awareness around human trafficking. As a widow, she knows the importance of living a life of purpose and intends on spreading love and positivity wherever she goes.  What do you do and why do you do it?  This is a very broad question. I do a lot of things. I think we al

  Benjamin is an award-winning model, Autism Ambassador and host of the YouTube series, Sneaker Jamz. He likes to network with other budding entrepreneurs to help spread awareness that people with "disabilities" can still be successful in pursuing their dream. He has been an active member of the Chicago media and arts scene for years and has a true passion for entertainment. What do you do and why do you do it? I have been modeling for 5 years now and am a singer, songwriter, guitarist, actor, and much more! I have autism but I showed everyone that it doesn't matter if we have autism, Asperger's Syndrome, or any other disability. We are human beings and we can still make our dreams come true and we can make a difference because we can all be independent everyday! I am an Autism Ambassador because I spread the word out to the community about Autism Awareness. It benefits me to share it with everyone who wants to know about Autism Awareness and everybody will learn from