Maya had always been the smallest in her class, the one who had to stand on her tiptoes just to see over the laboratory counters. But while her height—or lack thereof—made her feel overlooked in the hallways of her high school, it became her greatest asset the moment she stepped into the world of "petite" modeling.
At five-foot-three, Maya didn't fit the industry's traditional "amazonian" mold. However, she possessed a rare, ethereal grace and a face that seemed to capture the light in ways photographers dreamed of. Her journey started almost by accident when a local boutique owner in young model petite teen
Portland asked her to model a new line of sustainable streetwear designed specifically for smaller frames. Maya had always been the smallest in her