2025-06-10 ”A New Page” by Izzy (born 1999)

I guess I need to let everyone know… I’m going to have a part in things around here going forward.

I guess I’ll back up.

People sometimes ask where I’m from—truth is, I’m a working-class kid from Blue Island, Illinois. My mom delivered mail, my dad fixed elevators, and I ran track and played volleyball until I landed my first modeling job at 16. I guess my genes created an opportunity.

I developed early physically—began wearing a C cup bra by age 14, making me the target of mixed attention. Tough then, but I pushed through it. I suppose it was something that shaped my comfort in front of the camera later.

When I was 17, I met Ailana Geven (@ailana.geven). I was 2 years younger and at least 2 cup sizes larger at the time when we started doing niche fashion modeling for a company that made sportswear and swimwear. She was new. I was a veteran for around 12 months!

That job led to nine wild years of sports and swimwear gigs, and eventually… burnout.

Somehow, I finished college fairly normally, and last December I finished my Master’s in Psychology from Pepperdine.

But nine years of studios, arenas, and appearances for different brands… It was too much.

So I hit pause. Now I’m starting a new chapter. Ailana’s friends in Brooklyn have started a program that is part of a non-profit called Habitat Housing.

The program is called Stop-Gap Housing. It will find people who have full-time jobs but that are homeless and give them a temporary place to call their own.

Part of the program is to work with the residents helping them transition from living on the street back into housing of a sort. Then, to help them navigate the process of finding a permanent home of their own.

Paul tapped me to be the case worker. I interviewed with Habitat Housing, and… yeah… that’s happening.

I told my agent, I’d have to model only part-time and that I’d need ample notice to fit things in. She wasn’t happy about it, but said she understood. 

Not bad for a redhead from the South Side.