Being involved with Oxfam has really opened my eyes to the world at large and the suffering of others. But my background and my life experience are what have allowed me to understand how interconnected we all are. I believe one person suffering reverberates throughout the world.

I never wanted to be the person who said, "I woulda, coulda, shoulda." Life is way too short, and you may not last that long. I dropped out of Yale after two years to pursue one of the most uncertain careers - modeling. That seemed like a crazy decision, especially coming from where I came from and given what Yale is. Most people I knew told me so. But I was following what my heart was telling me I needed to do. I took the risk. It could easily have not worked out, but it did. Phew!

When you empower women and help them thrive, you help their communities thrive. Women shoulder the burden disproportionately.

Failure isn't really an option because, as my grandmother used to say, "Nothing beats a failure but a try."

I don't have children of my own so I can't say I know the plight of being a parent, but I can kinda understand some of the complexities of it.

You can't improvise if you are tense. Or thinking too much. You have to really let it go.

For instance, people who have to walk miles for water - and we just turn on the faucet and let it run. Or people right here in our country [USA] who are food insecure, and yet we as a nation throw out an inconceivable amount of food.