From Sweet 16 to Sweet Success
By Tammy Tibbetts
You’ve seen Jaslene Gonzalez’s glamorous photo shoots on America’s Next Top Model. You’ve seen her on the cover of Seventeen. You may have even seen her on a billboard in New York City. But perhaps the most beautiful picture you haven’t seen of Jaslene is this one — from her Sweet 16.
Jaslene, who was born in Puerto Rico, celebrated her Sweet 16 quince-style in Chicago — when being a model was just her dream. After talking with Jaslene, we discovered it takes more than Tyra Banks to make your modeling dreams come true!
Whatever your dream, here are three lessons you can learn from Jaslene:
1. Put Family First, Especially When Planning a Sweet 15/16
Jaslene comes from a big family. She even has an aunt who is one week older than her! Rather than fighting for the spotlight on their 15th, they compromised: Jaslene waited until she was 16 to celebrate her quince, while her aunt celebrated at 15. "Oh, my God, it was such a beautiful and special moment for me because that is a symbol of us turning into a woman," Jaslene said.
Her quince was in a hotel banquet hall with about 200 guests. Her mom and family members did most of the planning, but they listened to Jaslene’s input. "My aunt is my godmother and my grandfather is my godfather, so they played a big role in my Sweet 16. My grandmother made my cake. She does homemade cakes and they’re delicious!"
2. Be Positive
Before she competed on ANTM, Jaslene had an abusive boyfriend. "During that relationship, things went down little by little," Jaslene told Seventeen. "It was such a dark moment in my life. It was horrible!" But Jaslene used this time as a learning experience. Her lesson: You have the right to always be treated with respect. Jaslene is now involved with the Love Is Not Abuse campaign to inspire other girls to speak up about abuse.
3. Never Stop Chasing Dreams
Mis Quince’s "Dream for 15" campaign is about having a dream for the next 15 years of your life. But what if you make your dream come true sooner, like Jaslene or Paula DeAnda did? Then, dream bigger! Jaslene’s new goal is to go to college. “Education is a number one priority to me right now," she says. "Right now with my schedule and the way my life is, it’s unfortunate that I can’t go to school, but I really do plan to."
Even if you don’t become a top model like Jaslene, by taking her advice, you’ll be a role model in no time!
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