The Winner’s Circle: Yoanna House, Winner of America’s Next Top Model 2

I remember before America’s Next Top Model 2 began, I had done a preview article talking about each of the girls, based on my first impression of them. When I read Yoanna’s bio on the page, I wasn’t very impressed. In fact, I said that she wouldn’t be around very long since she seemed so boring and probably had no personality.

Could I have been any more wrong? Yoanna ended up being one of the most fun girls to watch that season, always spoke her mind and continually made it quite clear that she was there to win.

Let me set the stage. Growing up, Yoanna said she always had a dream to be in the fashion industry. She was an avid reader of fashion magazines, knew every designer and all their products and had a working knowledge of the industry. Being overweight, she knew that being a model was out of the picture. Not very long before ANTM2 aired, Yoanna had lost close to 65 pounds in order to be on the show. Now that’s an impressive feat! She stated that nothing was going to stop her from winning.

Believe me, there was some tough competition that Yoanna had to overcome, too! There was overachieving April, who achieved perfection at everything she did, but the judges felt she was to technical. There was the underestimated Shandi, who nobody ever though would be a model – but came into her own and wowed everyone. And who could forget MY Mercedes? Mercedes had it all and was a model on the inside and out. It was Yoanna though, with her can-do attitude, consistently beautiful photos and working knowledge of the industry that helped her win the competition – and in an entertaining way!

Nobody will ever forget the time that Yoanna confronted Camille when she thought she was talking about her. Camille, not expecting Yoanna to have a spine, was put in her place so fast it was magnificent. Yoanna always made her feelings felt, and even when she had something to say about the other girls – she said it to their face. Again, Camille started a rumor and actually said something to Tyra that Yoanna might have an eating disorder. Yoanna didn’t hesitate to talk to Tyra and say something, not to mention put Camille in her place again. It’s understandable that she was upset, especially since she had worked so hard to lose all that weight and then was accused of having an eating disorder.

Yoanna is very inspiring because she knew what she wanted, never wavered from that and pulled through. She is an inspiration that when you want something, and you’re willing to fight and work hard for it – you will get it eventually, just like she did. Even I can admit that Yoanna wasn’t my favorite of the season, but her win was well deserved. Yes, she beat out MY Mercedes, but if anyone should have, it was the right person. That is why Yoanna deserves her spot in The Winners Circle.Phil Kural is a recent graduate from Temple University, with a degree in journalism. You can reach him at pkural@gmail.com with any feedback that you may have.

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