Nikeva Stapleton's gig as a model for Hollister was the launching pad to the career that has landed her on a Times Square billboard.
"He was always bragging about me."
The Somali Muslim model won't let xenophobia or the pandemic stand in her way of living out her dreams.
From teaching special education in Newark’s South Ward to gracing the pages of Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, here's how the rising star is navigating her path in the fashion industry.
“I don't do what I do for compliments or anything like that but, I feel like a lot of times what I do can go overlooked.”
“I went in with my natural hair and I met the entire team. It was good, but they were like, okay, can you come back with long hair?”
“It's history. History and culture. That's really cool.”
"If I can find a medium where we're both happy, that would be amazing. But this is my life."
“I grew up with a mother who told me to embrace my height to love it. She told me never to be the shrinking violet," said Rhoden.
“What I love about our generation and even the generation coming up after us is we're more open and we’re like ‘No we don't have to keep quiet about things!"
“My brother was a dark skinned man who didn't experience what I experienced, who didn’t get bullied because he was dark skin. Men it’s never a problem for them. Girls find them attractive,” said Nyakim Gatwech.
"I just can't stop now, I have to keep going.”
