The most significant risk I’ve ever taken was quitting my 9-5 to pursue my passion for modeling and content creation. Looking from the outside, leaving a full-time, salaried job in tech for something not nearly as stable can be considered highly irresponsible, especially during a recession. However, it would’ve been more irresponsible to abandon my dreams for a job that provided financial stability in place of my happiness.

I started my first corporate job as a software engineer after graduating from Georgia Tech in 2020. I focused on front-end development while learning backend for a year until rotating to another team. Then, I found myself in a full-stack development role with minimal support. I remained glued to my laptop past 10 pm on weekdays and requested to work on weekends, far beyond my scheduled 40 hours. Very quickly, my mental health deteriorated to the point where I was experiencing severe anxiety even off the clock. Around that time, in July 2021, I decided to start taking content creation seriously. Even that was a risk, as turning my social media public allowed others to judge me and my lifestyle. Growing up in a traditional Muslim household opened me up to criticism about how I dressed, behaved, and chose to live my life. Despite risking backlash, I knew that I needed to live my life authentically, and hiding who I truly was would not make me happy. Quickly after putting myself out there, I started partnering up with brands such as Ana Luisa and Parade, launching myself into pursuing a career as a model.

While content creation took off, I needed to draw boundaries with my full-time job. I was burning myself out and could barely focus on what I loved. So, I found another role focused on my initial interest in tech – the people who use it. I accepted a role as a user experience researcher, working with the end users to help develop intuitive and accessible technology. I truly loved my job of amplifying voices to make something better.

So why did I quit my job a year and a half later? To put it quite frankly – discrimination. I had to go to HR on multiple occasions – more than I’d liked. Although I may have switched teams, I could not escape a toxic workplace culture. I went from reporting someone to HR for calling Kamala Harris a ‘hooker’ to speaking with the director of technology, who told me verbatim that he did not believe in diversity. I watched my black coworkers get passed on for opportunities to their white peers simply in the name of nepotism. I faced extreme difficulty recognizing mental illness as a disability and watched managers and directors taunt and bully those underneath them. Claiming diversity and inclusion as pillars require not permitting the disrespect of women, people of color, and those with disabilities. Yet, the toxicity and disrespect ran rampant, so I left knowing that if I wanted to stand up for others, I could not do it in this environment.

Corporate America has taught me a lot. I’ve met people who tried to make a difference, even within a toxic environment. They’ve taught me how to navigate a world not built for them, find success, and create change. I hope to apply those lessons to my career as a model. As a petite, curvy, South Asian model, I know I am not the traditional standard of beauty. However, if corporate America has taught me anything, it’s to remain strong in facing adversity and stand by your values. I know that by chasing my dreams, I can make the world a better place – one where beauty has no limits.

Growing up as a low-income South Asian woman, I struggled to find faces like my own as role models. Like many others, my only career paths were being a lawyer, a doctor, or an engineer. South Asian creatives were rare and, more importantly, perceived as irresponsible. So, falling into the idea of having a “practical” career, I chose computer science, shocked by the sea of brown faces in my classes. Yet funny enough, I still didn’t feel like I belonged. I’ve always longed for more.

When I graduated college and started my career as a software engineer, I did what I felt my parents would’ve wanted. I knew I made them proud. I know because my dad still raves about his “little engineer.” But I neglected my dreams for theirs. As a result, I was disappointed, depressed, and unfulfilled.

I’ve always wanted to be a model, but I believed there wasn’t space for me as a petite, curvy, brown woman. So, I didn’t think it was possible. But I couldn’t let a Eurocentric standard of beauty keep me from living my dreams. So, if there isn’t room for faces like mine in the beauty industry, I will create the space myself.

When I finally decided to pursue modeling, I reached out to brands on Instagram and was ecstatic to find out they were willing to pay me to promote their products. As I started growing on social media, a photographer reached out to do my first photoshoot. After that, I started applying to castings and meeting photographers and even received my first paycheck from influencer marketing. After that, I saw myself doing things I never thought possible for me, and every time I got in front of a camera, I got better and better.

My goal as a creative is to continue to grow to be the best I can be, but more importantly, show others that they do not need to fit in a box to achieve their dreams. While the odds may seem impossible, if you embrace who you are and honestly believe in yourself, anything is possible. It’s what makes us different that makes us stand out.