A typical day for me involved waking up hungover, logging onto MySpace.com to catch up on the previous night’s drama, searching for the latest fashion trends, and then calling my friends to plan our looks for the club. I felt like a star, and even the house parties I frequently attended were, in a way, my Met Gala.

"This industry can be shallow and filled with rejection, but despite all that, I still want to be involved because I’m doing this for my younger self. Seeing a trans Mexican-American woman on the cover of Vogue or walking down the red carpet wouldn’t just be a perk for my resume—it would fill my spirit with certainty."