Tyra Banks

INGLEWOOD HIGH

T.V. Host, and Former Supermodel

MODELLING

Sagittarius

Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973) is an African-American television personality, author, actress, singer, executive producer, talk show host, and former supermodel. She is well known for her role as the host and judge of the reality television show America's Next Top Model. Banks is widely recognized as one of the world's premier fashion models, and was one of the original Victoria's Secret Angels. Banks also currently hosts her own daytime talk show The Tyra Banks Show. Tyra Banks was born in Los Angeles, California, USA to Don Banks and Carolyn London. She was raised in Inglewood, California with her brother Devin, and attended Immaculate Heart High School, an all-girl, independent Catholic private school in Los Angeles. Growing up, she was very thin and often teased; she was considered to be "ugly." Banks later said that this was a very difficult period for her and she developed a "very strong self-image problem." In 1991, Banks was about to begin her freshman year at Loyola Marymount University when Elite Model Management gave the 17-year-old her first modeling job. Prior to this entry into the fashion world, Banks had been rejected several times for modeling assignments. In fact, she states that she did not consider her first job to be the start of a long career in fashion: "An agent saw pictures of me and said that I was the only girl she wanted to take back to Paris... I didn't leave thinking I was going to be some big fashion model. I just wanted to make money for college."[3] a leadership program created by Banks for young girls that according to the organization, "reinforces core values of trust and support, challenges teen girls to resist negative social pressures, and enhances self-empowerment—inspiring girls to become confident leaders in their communities." She has also established the Tyra Banks Scholarship, a fund aimed at providing African-American girls the opportunity to attend her alma mater,