I Am African And I Can: Lily Tenaw

New York's Next Top Model Is Ethiopian

Growing up, Lily Tenaw did not know she had an outer beauty that gleamed, until a casting agency launched her career as a model.

Lelena Tenaw, known by the name Lily, was born in Dessie, a city located in the northern part of Ethiopia.

Becoming a model, for Tenaw, was unplanned. Accident? Accidents don't just happen; it was her destiny.

On one Saturday afternoon in 2002,Tenaw received an invitation from her sister, who also auditioned, to attend a casting call. Out of the 600 contestants who auditioned for a shot at modeling, 12 were chosen. Fortunately, Tenaw was one of them.

Tenaw, 14 at the time, was in total disbelief for having won an opportunity she never dreamt of.

She was ready to prove to the world that she had the potential to become a successful model.

While there are people who decide to go into modeling for the wrong reasons, Tenaw pursues modeling not just for the money and attention that comes with it, but because it's her passion.

Today, the 5'7 beauty is a commercial and print model.

She has modeling certificates from John Robert Power, City College, and Mary Joy Aid Through Development (MJATD), a non profit organization devoted to bettering health and living conditions for the underprivileged in Ethiopia.

In 2009, Tenaw wowed her fans as she made an appearance on the Jones Beach Exotic Calendar. She was featured on the cover of the Poughkeepsie Journal in 2011, and on Zen Magazine as "Models To Watch in 2012."

Tenaw modeled for Forever Us -- a clothing line -- and for two months was issued on a hair commercial called Hyped Hair.

Her work is not only known in New York, "she is the face (and body) of a T-shirt advertisement of a popular catalog in Tokyo."

"Regardless of your beauty or talent, every model should have some background education," she opined. "The world is not only about beauty."

"I can go out there and get any job because I was able to get a college degree."

Tenaw is not just defined by her beauty, she is an educated woman. She graduated from Marist College in 2012 with a double degree in Business and Fashion Merchandising.

Because she is a attractive woman and model, being hit on is inevitable. Tenaw has turned down many opportunities to work with well-known and experienced photographers because she'd rather walk away with her pride than undressed.

"Work is work and pleasure is pleasure; sometimes you have to say 'no,'" she expressed. "I respect myself and my body."

Although the model spent 13 years of her childhood in Ethiopia -- a country where exposure of the skin is a taboo -- she is able to, at any given moment, pose before the camera, show off her curves, and still walk away being truthful to who she is, a woman who knows her worth.

"My first impression of Lily was that she was extremely beautiful, humble...her beauty was natural," recalled Bakari Adeyemi, President of Blue Ice Entertainment (a talent management agency).

According to Tenaw, "a model is a person who has a unique look or features and has the ability to make anything that is given to him or her look good."

When Tenaw began modeling, she worked with a modeling agency "that expected [her] to be all bones." She weighed 105 pounds and was still asked to lose weight. Knowing her worth, Tenaw switched to an agency where her curves weren't going to be taken for granted.

Tiran Winston remains her favorite photographer because of his passion for photography and great appreciation for women with curves.

In the beginning, acquiring publicity was challenging for Tenaw: "you can have the look and body, but if you don't have a great agency or network, no one will pay attention to you," she explained. Despite the challenges she encountered, Tenaw persisted.

"Her positivity and outlook on life [is] always up. If you're feeling down, being around her will bring you up," said photographer Sherwin Dyer, known as Shots. "plus, she always looks amazing," he added.

Though Tenaw is enjoying the lavish benefits of being a model -- traveling, good pay, and having designer clothes for free -- she has thought of ways she can contribute to helping young girls in Ethiopia.

In the near future, the model plans on using her knowledge of the modeling industry to help teenage girls in the countryside of Ethiopia gain confidence in their inner and outer beauty, hence pursue a career in modeling.

Tenaw's advice to people continues to be: "If you have a passion for something, don't be afraid to go after it."