MESQUITE, TX— At 14, Ashley Villa was far from being a typical aspiring model.
“I was very of a tomboy, hated makeup, hated dressing up, hated being in front of everybody. It’s just, it was not my image, it was not me. I hated being in front of everybody,” said Villa.
Shy and reserved, Villa avoided the spotlight. But deep down, she felt destined for something greater. So her parents suggested, “Why don’t you try modeling? You’re tall, you’re beautiful, and you need that confidence. So let’s go find that confidence in you.”
Villa’s parents then sent her to two schools, one for modeling and one for acting. Fast forward to early 2021 when she turned 19, Villa turned her passion for modeling into a mission to empower young individuals. With her parents’ support, she founded the Blooming Modèles Academy, a bilingual modeling school dedicated to building self-esteem and confidence while opening doors for young girls to thrive in the competitive modeling industry.
The path to success wasn’t without obstacles. Starting with no marketing or teaching experience, Villa faced a steep learning curve.
“You would trust individuals, but at the end of the day, they don’t want that good for you. They don’t want you to progress. They don’t want to see you grow or doing better than them,” she said.
Despite these challenges, Villa remained resilient and determined to pursue her goals.
The Blooming Modèles Academy offers over 20 classes covering runway, posing, speech, acting, commercial, and high-fashion modeling. The program caters to students aged 6 to 21 plus, with plans to expand into online and adult classes.
Villa said her school’s main focus is helping girls build self-confidence. According to the CEO, some students initially struggled with basic skills like shaking hands or maintaining eye contact.
She explained the idea behind “blooming,” “You’re in your little cocoon, then you’re gonna become a caterpillar as you’re learning, and then what do you do—you bloom as a butterfly. You don’t see all the beautiful colors, you don’t see your own wings, but we all know that it’s there. Then you fly, and you go into your own industry.”
She also described her program as a family-oriented community to help young girls navigate the “toxic” modeling industry in a positive and healthy way.
For Villa, her self-development journey is to create a better future version of herself every step of the way. She is her own role model. “How would my 20-year-old self be? How would I look up to her? And that’s the person I would try to create myself to become as I grow.”
Villa attributes her success to the unwavering support of her family, mentors, clients, and sponsors. Above all, she credits her faith.
“Like my parents said, stay humble, put God first, everything else is gonna be puzzled in. If you don’t have to force anything. You have to work for it. You have to take the initiative, be disciplined. But above all, you always have to put God first. And because of him, I have what I have now.”
Contact information:
- Instagram: @bloomingmodelesacademy
- Address: 1900 Oates Dr, Mesquite #172
- Phone: 214-299-0330
Larrison Manygoats and Marina Fatina contributed to this report.
