03: The Day I Was “Discovered”

When I was 12 years old, I was attending a small Christian school in New Mexico.

I loved it.
My sister went to the same school, and she was old enough to drive—so every morning, we’d ride together in her forest green Isuzu Rodeo, windows down, music on.
Sometimes we’d stop for breakfast burritos.
It made me feel cool. Older. Safe.

She always had my back.
She still does.

Every year, the school held a “Spirit Week.”
They’d bring in speakers from all over to lead us in chapel, devotionals, worship.
It was a big deal. You dressed a little nicer. You sat up straighter.
It felt special.

That’s the week I met Mr. B.

He had this presence—big personality, big voice, big stories.
He spoke all over the country at churches, events, schools.
He talked about celebrities he knew. Big brands. Opportunities.
The guy felt like a star.

And on the very first day he spoke, with the entire school gathered in the auditorium, he said my name.

He used me as an example—nothing major, just a passing mention.
But in a school that size? That meant something.
Heads turned.
Suddenly, I wasn’t just another sixth grader.
I was seen.

After lunch, I was walking through the hallway when I heard it:

“There’s the movie star.”

It was Mr. B.

He walked over, full of charisma, and told me he hoped he hadn’t embarrassed me during chapel.
Then he leaned in a little and said something I still remember clearly:

“I noticed something about you. You’re different. Special.”

I didn’t say much—I was still shy back then.
But I smiled. I listened.
And when he asked if we could eat lunch together tomorrow, I said yes.

That’s how it started.

Lunch conversations about famous people he knew.
Stories about traveling. Speaking. Meeting celebrities.
He was magnetic.
He told me I could be a model.
That he had real connections. That I had the look. The presence. The potential.

He asked if my parents would be open to meeting him.
He said he could help me put together a professional portfolio.
That he knew someone high up at a well-known brand with a kids and adult modeling division.

My mom had always joked about getting me into modeling.
Now someone with real experience was saying it could happen.

So I told my parents.

We met for lunch later that week.

Mr. B was charming. Confident. Charismatic.
He was everything a parent would want in someone who “discovered” their kid.
He talked about connections. He offered to pay for everything.
He said I could make it.
That he’d mentor me. Guide me. Build the portfolio.

My parents were impressed.
Honestly? So was I.

Why wouldn’t we believe him?

This was a man of God.
A speaker.
A leader.
And now he was offering to change our lives—my life.

That’s when we started planning my first trip out to Georgia.

Looking back, I see how it happened.
How a moment of admiration turned into a slow unraveling.
How trust was built.
How silence began.

But at the time?
It just felt like the start of something big.

And I couldn’t wait.

If someone ever made you feel special just to take advantage of your trust—
You’re not weak. You were targeted.
And you’re not alone.