I don’t know how she does it all.  I mean, come on, now.  She’s a vet, doctor, daycare provider, financial advisor, clean energy activist, leading business women, student, teacher, paediatrician, new mom, yogi, and I think she might even do some recruiting for a university in small town Ontario.  She makes the rest of us look, well, less accomplished.  

It is debatable how many people see her beautiful smiling face, or at minimum a photo of it, each day.  My estimation is 787,532 humans are fed her smile around the globe daily.  She is found literally around the globe.   She’s found above every seat on on Malaysian airline and on huge billboards.  You can find her in Australian articles about being a new mom.  She even graces the local weather page online.  She helps advertise proper interview skills.  She is, quite literally, helping teach and promote around the world.

But to bring it all back home to here in Peterborough, Ontario, let’s take a closer look at the beautiful woman that brightens the globe.  As she is spread and peppered all over, she remains nameless to everyone except the lucky ones that know her personally.  When I saw her Facebook profile pic while browsing a local group I was part of, she caught my eye immediately.  This was someone that I definitely wanted to know.  Her smile was infectious, her stance confident but approachable.  I knew no one that knew her but sent her a message regardless.  “You’re beautiful – will you come and be in a photo shoot?”  I incessantly checked my inbox to see if I’d hear silence or a rejection.  “Sure! I’d love to!” was the reply that came shortly after, much to my surprised delight.  

And so began the journey of the girl who became a model and my friend. Since beginning her modelling with us, she has changed from a single woman to a married lady and amazing mama of a sweet little boy.  We have captured her dozens of times, each one being graced by her classic beauty.  We shares real, tight hugs each time she comes to the studio, as we catch up on each others’ lives.  I know her.  She knows me.  We’ve exchanged birthday gifts, gone for walks, supported and loved each other.  I had the huge honour of visiting and photographing our youngest model ever – her son, at 21 hours old, still in the hospital.  She was radiant and gorgeous, unconvincing of having popped a human out of her body just hours before.  

She is a natural at photo shoots.  She makes friends with the other models instantly, believable simulating a business meeting when actually telling her new friends about a Malaysian recipe she tried, or how her dog is coming along with his fly ball training.  She keeps kids engaged in pretending to be in school as she puts them at ease and makes them feel important.  She exchanges contact info with others and makes friends on the spot.  People want to be part of her world.

So what makes Jessica such a fabulous model?  She’s the person that makes your life better by knowing her.  She’s the one that you can simply look at her smile and know that the world is all right.  She’s infectious, engaging, kind.  Clearly, the world agrees.