Grace Strobel

Grace Strobel's advice for everyone is simple: "Be confident. Believe in yourself. Work hard, and don't give up. Just go on." However, society-at-large has historically made people like her feel like they can't do any of those things. As the first model with Down syndrome to be the face of an American skin-care brand, the 24-year-old is ready and willing to prove doubters wrong and celebrate herself and others with disabilities.

A young woman with Down syndrome is following her dream of being a model, and inspiring countless others in the process. When Grace Strobel, 23, was born with Down syndrome, a genetic counselor told her parents about all the things she would struggle with, from reading and writing to tying her shoes. But her parents wanted to focus on their daughter’s potential, not just her limitations.

When model, speaker, and Down syndrome advocate Grace Strobel was bullied in high school in 2018, she felt alone and hated by her classmates. "I cried so hard I couldn't stop. I died inside," the now 24-year-old tells HelloGiggles. Yet while she could have let that situation defeat her, she instead decided to use it as inspiration to make a difference in others' lives.

When bullies teased about her differences, Grace Strobel wasn’t going to take it sitting down. She decided to fight hate with education. With the help of her mother, she spent weeks researching and organizing a presentation aptly titled #TheGraceEffect which she presented to her peers.