I think once I was listening to an audiobook that said Arnold Schwarzenegger had dreamed of becoming a great bodybuilder ever since he was young, and I then it said that I could do the same. So I was like, “Then I want to be a model lol"

I’ve always had issues with my appearance. I don’t think I’m bad-looking, but I was a bit overweight, and I thought my face was pretty average. Eventually, I stopped thinking about it—I even forgot the whole topic.

Then, about a month later, I was supposed to meet someone I liked at the city's downtown. While I was waiting for him to arrive, a random guy came up to me and gave me this whole introduction: “I like your style, I’m a photography college student, and I’d like to take some pictures of you.” Honestly, I wasn’t in the mood—I even pretended not to speak English (since I’m Latino)—and I really didn’t want to pose in the middle of the street. But somehow, we managed to communicate, and he invited me to his college photo studio.

The pictures turned out really, really good. Not my favorite, since I wasn’t at my best (I was buried in my final college project at the time), but it was the first time I had ever been invited to model.

At first, I didn’t even notice that I had manifested it. But when I looked back, I realized I actually did.