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Hey, my name is Olena. I'm 28 years old, 5'5”, and a freelance model. I live in the USA, but I was born in a small city in the west part of Ukraine. As a child, I was drawn to the arts. I used to attend a lot of classes: dance, piano, violin, drawing, music theory. I was always looking for ways to channel my creative energy, never stopping – my whole week was always pretty busy.
When I was 16, I won a competition "FLEX", and as a reward, I got an opportunity to visit the USA and study in high school for a year. It was an amazing experience to see a different culture, study in a US high school, and make a lot of new friends. After that, I went back home and went to university in Kyiv, where I studied law for 4 years. After graduation, I decided to take a chance
and come back to the US. When I got here, I lived in Alexandria, VA. I worked
there as a lifeguard for a couple of months before moving to Chicago,
which has been my home ever since.
In my free time, I like to play the violin, go to the gym and spend time with my friends. One of my biggest passions is baking and decorating cakes and cookies – a skill that I inherited from my mom. She likes to bake goodies for me and my younger brother, always trying to make not only something tasty, but also interesting-looking and fun for us. So now, I like to make small surprise birthday cakes for my friends, and who knows, maybe I can make a career out of that someday!
Photographer: Miodrag Stanojlovic
I found one more way to express my creative nature, a perfect way to capture emotions and tell stories. I had the privilege of meeting a lot of talented artists who helped me realize my potential.
About two years ago I got an opportunity to attend a photoshoot, and that was the beginning of another journey in my life. I discovered a new world for me, the world of modeling and photography. I found one more way to express my creative nature, a perfect way to capture emotions and tell stories. I had the privilege of meeting a lot of talented artists who helped me realize my potential. I strive to bring a lot of energy to every project, and I'm always happy to contribute in a creative way to produce artistic results.
At the moment, I am focused on growing as a model, learning more about the industry, and creating amazing work with other creatives.
Recently, I was invited to join “Why not Petites”, and I was very honored and excited. This is something new for me, and it has a very important story and a strong message. I wasn't aware there is still this problem, that models are still being discriminated against for their height or body shape. I am very happy to be a part of “Why not Petites,” and I have a strong belief that we are creating something different and unique by helping spread the word about this issue and supporting other models like us.
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