Tyra Banks

Tyra Banks

My hero is Tyra Banks. Tyra Banks is a strong, beautiful and strong-hearted woman. Tyra was born April 12, 1973, in Los Angeles. Tyra is an award-winning model, accomplished actress and TV celebrity. Even though her parents divorced when she was very young, her mother and other family members instilled a high degree of family values and expectations. Tyra loved to read more than anything else. She could spend hours and hours inside the bookstores.

During Tyra's teen years, she was very tall and bean-pole skinny. She was constantly teased by her brother and classmates because of her awkward appearance. Her mother took her to the best doctors because she was very tall for her age. The doctors said she was perfectly healthy and she became known as a “boring bookworm”. Tyra wasn't comfortable with her skinny body at all, so she started to eat fattening foods. When Tyra turned 17 years old, she started to gain some weight and develop some curves. Tyra’s self-esteem improved and her modeling career began. Her mother raised her to be mentally and physically strong.

"I've been lucky enough to come from a really strong family, where I was taught only to compete with myself," she said.

Tyra accepted a small part in the British television movie, "Inferno," as a supermodel. She also appeared on Will Smith's "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" show in a supporting role. Her first real movie role came in John Singleton's "Higher Learning" where she played Omar Epps' track-running girlfriend.

Tyra is not just another supermodel actress; she is definitely the real thing! Tyra has made People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful" list not once, but twice, and even wrote an amazing book about her life, "Tyra's Beauty Inside & Out". Tyra was the first black model on the cover of Sports Illustrated and the first black women and model to be featured on the cover of "GQ." Tyra is a true superstar, with a very bright future.

Tyra as a teen.

Tyra Banks started to inspire me when I started watching her show, "The Tyra Banks Show." It is a one-hour, daily talkshow focusing on the dreams, hopes and challenges of today's young women. The goal of her talkshow is to inspire women to be the best they can be for themselves, their families and their communities. Tyra's show reflects the positive attitude, compassion and energy that herself embodies. Each and every day, she speaks with women, sometimes men too, providing them insight into topics that affect their lives. Her show is designed to entertain and offer the "every woman" insight. Some of the topics she covers are relationships, family, self-esteem and life style issues. The show covers specific issues that Tyra and her generation of women are facing. The real-life stories give viewers an amazing and emotional look at different people’s lives. Tyra hopes to inform women and men with both building blocks and an action plan they need to make their lives healthier.

Another reason why Tyra Banks is my hero is because she is also known for her dedication in today’s youth. After being blessed with the ability to help people in need, Tyra is now focused on giving back. "In 1992, she established “The Tyra Banks Scholarship,” a fund that grants African-American girls the opportunity to attend her alma mater, Immaculate Heart High School, an all-girls private school in Los Angeles. Banks expanded her outreach in July 2000 when her self-funded charitable foundation sponsored the first year of T-ZONE, an annual summer camp experience for teen girls designed to enhance independence and self-esteem.

After she finished writing her book, "Tyra's Beauty & Out," Tyra realized that the obstacles she overcame as a teen could be used to connect with young teens who struggle with self-esteem issues. Now, on her talk show, Tyra is bringing our her messages of inner-beauty and self-confidence as the keys to success.