Jessica Jacinto, a 22-year-old model from Valencia, Venezuela, has dominated the beauty market. She has Down Syndrome as well.

Down syndrome is a disorder in which a person is born with an extra chromosome, which alters how the body and brain develop. This may cause emotional and physical difficulties, but Jessica has not allowed anything to get in her way.

Although the syndrome is the most prevalent chromosomal disorder in the United States, people with it are nonetheless treated differently than others.

“People with Down syndrome have been excluded from society and discriminated against across the board—in educational settings, jobs, and in their communities,” said David Tolleson, Executive Director of the National Down Syndrome Congress.

“A lot of it is due to a lack of knowledge, education, and exposure to people with Down syndrome,” says the author.

When Jessica was 14 and asked to compete in a beauty contest, she found out what she really liked to do.

She also participated in sports in high school, but they did not excite her in the same way that modeling did. Jessica’s mother, Yanira, says that when she saw her daughter walk the runway in a pageant for girls with Down syndrome, she knew “this was her world.”

Jessica adores it.

“Being a model for me is like studying for a job that you enjoy, something you are very enthusiastic about,” Jessica said. “Even if you don’t believe it, improving yourself requires effort and inventiveness. I transform into someone else the moment I step onto the catwalk. It’s almost as if someone else was suddenly emerging from inside me. “I feel strong.”

She has been a model for 10 years. Her mother helps her find jobs and keep track of her social media accounts.

Those who have worked with her have regarded her as charming, strong, and a delight to work with.

Despite the achievements, Yanira observes that “there is still a long way to go in Venezuela in terms of inclusivity.”

A couple of huge agencies and companies have promised a callback but never followed through, but Jessica remains undeterred. Modeling can be a cruel profession for anyone; unrealistic aesthetic standards are difficult to meet, resulting in healthy women losing far too much weight in order to stay relevant. However, fair representation in the beauty business is something worth working for!

Jessica participated in the “We are Different, But Not Inferior” initiative and said, “the project demonstrated to me that I could accomplish everything I put my mind to and that I could undertake many things.” That is why I am enrolled in a dancing institution as well as skating.

Jessica is looking forward to her journey and is overjoyed to have her parents on her side.