Today we’d like to introduce you to Nyja Abdullah.
Nyja, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
About almost a year ago, I became a signed model. I’m from Jacksonville, Florida a big but small city in Florida almost four and a half hours from Miami. I was going through such a hard time in my life, hanging around the wrong crowd, doing things I shouldn’t have, not being confident in myself not eating healthy and just not fully myself.
One day, I decided to stop all of that turn my whole life around and find something I truly want to do. I would hear from a lot of people that I should model and travel the world that there is more to life than not being happy and doing something you love. I set back and thought to myself that that is true. I was in the car one night with my best friend, it was a very crazy night doing things we shouldn’t have, and we stopped and reflected on how our life is going now, we didn’t like it. I looked over to her and said “you know what bruh… I wanna model “ and her response was “why not?” We sat there and tried to figure out every way possible to get me into it. She started writing down all the agencies she thought fit me the most and we stayed up night after night submitting to different agencies. I, of course, got turned down by a couple but didn’t let that stop me.
In the industry, having a bigger chest is a kind of a red flag, my body is so small but just as little as having a big chest could stop you from getting certain jobs. Started working out every day, eating right, and doing little things to get myself very healthy. I got signed to an agency down in Miami and from there, I realized I can do anything I want to do with my life. I have been to Paris and New York and California for modeling and am signed in LA, those three as a child were my top three places to go too and did it. We then started thinking that everything we do in our life that truly makes us happy, we always respond “why not” and then, we ended up creating our own business called Why Not entertainment.
We only have an Instagram page for now and got it to copy written, but in the future, we will get it to be big whynotent_ on IG.
Why not entertainment provides creatives a platform to come together, network, create and showcase their talent. Overall, we promote hope, faith, and creativity. Chase after your dreams because WHY NOT?! My goal is to show people that you can have and do anything in your life that you truly enjoy if you really want it.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has and hasn’t been a smooth road. I mostly get turned down as I said for my chest, but I always remain positive because a thousand “no’s” is usually getting you ready for that big “YES.”
Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am a signed model to two agencies currently, what sets me apart from others is that I never give up. It doesn’t matter how many no’s I hear, I will still keep going. My heart is pure and I am a very intelligent person that is just waiting to give my knowledge to the world.
How would you describe the type of kid you were growing up?
Hahaha. Growing up, I was always into figuring out things and helping others. My mom had a hard time with me at first and I’ll admit I gave her a hard time. I’m also a twin! I came out when I was about 18 but I had that feeling about myself since a young child, all of my family had their feelings about that. Those times within my life were very hard because I had constantly act like someone I wasn’t. I loved sports, I played just about everything like basketball, softball, flag football, and even baseball. I loved to be with my family, I’m very family-oriented and I just loved helping others. And I always knew I wanted to do something big with my life.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Nyjaabdullah
Image Credit:
@Akhine.art, @Raulromo and last two pictures are by @Billyhenryphoto, @mariyawaiphotography
Suggest a story: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
