LOS ANGELES – Home sweet home for a young woman who used to be in foster care. Cheyenne Roan-Santini moved into her own apartment, but all decor and furnishings were donated by the nonprofit A Sense of Home. They also had the good idea to reach out to a modeling agency that landed her modeling jobs with big brands like Reebok!
Chy’s adorable looks and fantastic golden afro have helped her book modeling jobs in magazines and store advertisements.
Just before stores were closed by the coronavirus pandemic, Chy was able to show one of her advertisements to her biological father. This Reebok was in a DSW shoe store. This was a big deal given her foster background. “I am in contact with my father, we are in the process of establishing a relationship,” she said. “We’ve come a long way, yeah.”
It’s her birth mother’s story that drives Chy to fight to make a difference for others. She says her mother is homeless and struggles with mental illness. Chy was in foster care for three years and grateful to have had a loving adoptive mother. Now she works to raise awareness for mental health.
Chy is 24 and now volunteers for the nonprofit that helps other young adoptees get into their first apartment. A Sense of Home was founded by designer Georgie Smith and Melissa Goddard.
After sorting through clothing donations from a company called Bleusalt, Chy was asked to model her Kaia pants, as in model Kaia Gerber, daughter of model Cindy Crawford. 20% of proceeds will go to A Sense of Home.
