We recently connected with Emma Reese and have shared our conversation below.
Emma , thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.
I believe my generosity comes from my relationship with the Lord, and my mom, and it’s a big part of who I am. The biggest reason for me being generous in my life absolutely comes from my relationship with God and how my faith plays a big role in who I am to begin with. Growing up, I was the type of person to always believe the best in people, even when people didn’t necessarily deserve it, so to speak. I have a lot of love for people in my heart and we never know what someone else is dealing with. As a Christian we are called to love all, so in my day to day and from learning that at a young age, I always try my hardest to do what Jesus calls us to do. I also believe the environment I grew up in taught me to be generous and loving. My mom was always someone who encouraged us to be caring, loving, and kind to other people, a lot like the Lord does. I believe my mom resembles a lot of who Jesus is and has always shown His light onto me and my siblings lives.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My name is Emma Reese, I am 24 years old and I am a high fashion model and student. I mainly do runway modeling, ecomm, and editorial work. I work mainly within Colorado, New York, and occasionally LA. I have been modeling since I was 18 years old and I feel very blessed to be apart of this industry. I come from a big family full of creatives. I have two older sisters who have both done some modeling, with one of them being an actress as well. I also have two little brothers who are also very creative individuals who own their own business and share the same hardworking mentality. Both of my parents also come from talent; my dad was an actor/model in LA before having kids and then my mother grew up singing and dancing. Before my parents got divorced, they met within a group called “Up With People,” which is a singing and dancing group that performed all over the world. I believe coming from a family full of creatives is part of what drives my passion for modeling. As for the student side of my life, I am getting a degree in social work. I want to eventually get my masters to either open up my own therapist office or work within a prison. I believe God put that on my heart for a reason and I want to make sure I am living for Him. I am someone who has a lot of love for this world and for people, so I want to be able to place love where it is needed most. I think our prison systems here in the US could use a lot of improvement and I want to help make those changes for the better. From my faith I have learned a lot about forgiveness and I think every person deserves to be forgiven and loved, especially those who own up to making a mistake. My heart truly goes out to people who are broken and lost and just need someone to love them a bit harder. I truly believe I can be that person. I love being there for those who need it most, whether that’s my friends, family, or even a stranger that needs someone to talk to. Overall, the world needs more love and I wanna be able to help that.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Looking back, I believe the three qualities that were the most impactful in my journey as a model have been resilience, adaptability, and my drive. In the modeling industry resilience has been key, helping me navigate through setbacks and rejection with determination to keep reaching my goals. Adaptability has allowed me to thrive in diverse environments, embracing new trends, and techniques effortlessly. Lastly, my passion for the craft of modeling has fueled my drive, propelling me forward with unwavering dedication and enthusiasm no matter what is thrown my direction in this field.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Back in September of 2023 I broke off my engagement and closed a big chapter of my life. I realized the relationship I was in was no longer serving me and was actually causing more harm in my life rather than good. After countless days of anxiety and stress, I realized God was calling me to do one of the most unimaginable things- break off my engagement. My ex and I were together for five years and throughout our relationship it was certainly not all bad but we simply were not right for each other and ultimately we needed to let go of each other. Through this difficult time I have learned so much more about myself and have grown so much closer to God and who He wants me to be. I feel less anxious and more confident, I feel less stressed and more at peace and I feel overall more happy and loving as a person. Sometimes the hardest things in life can be the best things for yourself. If you feel like God is trying to get your attention, listen to Him because He knows what is best for you. Even when His plan may not make sense, just try to pray and give it to Him. He is always working for you, not against you. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This Bible verse is one that I remind myself of often because I need to remind myself that God is in control and I can let go of my worry and stress because my story is already written out and I can let go of the worry of the future for that very reason. As I didn’t understand why my relationship originally was coming to an end, I now know it was one of the best decisions I could’ve made. In my journey of recently getting even more involved in my faith, I started to get more involved at my church. I go to Red Rocks church and the community there is like no other. The pastors are genuine, raw, and emotionally intelligent, God-loving individuals. The people who attend this church are some of the most authentic and kind human beings. I recently joined a couple small groups through Red Rocks and I have met some of the best people. People who push me to be closer in my journey with God and overall push me to be the best version of myself. In the end, I am not sure if I would still be the same person and where I am at right now if I hadn’t ended my engagement. I will end on this, if you feel there is an area in your life that is constantly stress and chaos, it will get better, just wait. It’s okay to outgrow people or things in your life… you can still love someone or have care for them and at the same time know they’re not what God has meant for you. Give it all to God and you will find yourself to be a lot more at peace and content.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Emmajaisereese
- Facebook: Emma Reese
- Youtube: Emmajaisereese
Image Credits
Scarlet Bahou Photo Hideki Aono Christa Tippmann
