Via Military Times:

Janae Sergio spent her high school years on the streets of Los Angeles, in and out of homeless shelters and programs for at-risk youth.

So, when the 36-year-old Navy veteran heard about a competition that donates money toward building homes for wounded warriors, she knew she wanted to take part.

“I know what it’s like to not have a home, so that’s really important to me,” she told Military Times.

Sergio, now an assistant business and financial manager for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, is vying for a spot on the cover of the international men’s magazine Maxim, a competition that comes with a $25,000 prize for the lucky winner — and the kind of platform that would give Sergio a voice to inspire young people living in similar circumstances.

“Before I actually became homeless, I had always wanted to be in modeling, and I had always loved the fashion business,” Sergio said.

But it was after her mother dropped her off at a shelter when she was about 16 that her aspirations turned to the task at hand: survival.

“I needed to focus on surviving and establishing myself as a successful woman before I could think about (modeling),” she said.

That shift of focus led to Sergio joining the Navy at 18, a move coinciding with a promise to earn her GED after missing too much school to be able to graduate. Sergio eventually used the GI Bill to earn a bachelor’s degree in business management.

After 9/11, she deployed twice and held a variety of posts before getting out of the military in 2008.

“I didn’t have any hope for what my future would be,” she said of her teenage years. “I was kind of living day to day and trying to figure out where I would sleep at night. The Navy gave me that future and gave me that footing to establish myself as a successful businesswoman.”

Keep reading…

HT: TAH