The last few years have been a true
fairy tale
for Isamar Gonzalez. At one moment she was just another girl in
a tough
city neighbourhood. The next she was an internationally-known
fashion model. Good looks, good luck and lots of determination
have helped her become a success.
”When I was growing
up, I never dreamed my life would really be like this,”
says the 20-year-old Gonzalez. ”Being a model is exciting. I
meet new people every day. And I get to travel all over the
world - from Hawaii to Paris to Italy to South Africa.”
Gonzalez was born in Puerto Rico. When she was four, she moved
with her family to the South Bronx in New York City. ”I grew up
in a rough area,”
she says. Her mother taught her how
to survive
in the city. ”My mom is a strong woman. She’s a
tough cookie.
I am the same way,” Gonzalez says.
At 16, Gonzalez moved to South Beach, in Miami, Florida. She was
working at the beach when a woman from a modelling agency
discovered her. Soon after, Gonzalez got a job in a TV
commercial for Sassoon jeans. ”They paid me $1,000,” she says.
”I was pretty excited at the time, since I had never seen that
much money.”
Since then,
her career has
taken
off. She’s worked for some of the top designers at
fashion shows, and she’s been photographed for many
advertisements and magazine fashion
spreads.
Last year, Gonzalez returned to Puerto Rico for the first time
in 10 years. There, she saw her father and grandmother. ”Nobody
could believe how much I’ve grown up. It was exciting to see all
of my family - my cousins and aunts and uncles.”
Gonzalez says she
might like to become a singer in the future. She
would also like to have children.
She recently
rented
”a little house on a hill” in Los Angeles. In her free time,
Gonzalez enjoys gardening and
roller-blading.
”The fashion world is
hard.
Sometimes you forget who you are,” she says. ”It’s important to
keep your own life. It’s important to have a home you love where
you can get away.
And it’s important to have your family to turn to, and to always
be honest with yourself.” |