Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandra Nyanchoka
Hi Sandra, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born and raised in Kenya. I come from a big family and grew up with 6 siblings. During the 1998 U.S. embassy bombing in Nairobi, my mother saved the U.S. ambassador’s life and as a token of appreciation, my entire family was granted special immigrant visas to move to the U.S. I was 12 years old when we relocated.
I attended middle school, highschool, and college in Maryland where I was involved in many activities. I enjoyed being a reporter for the Richard Montgomery Broadcasting Channel. I was also a member of GapBuster Learning Center, an educational program dedicated to promoting higher levels of achievement and closing the performance gap among students by enriching and supplementing their learning experience. I represented the organization at a Youth Leadership conference in the Bahamas. That was my first trip outside of the U.S. and I loved it! It was empowering; not only did I learn a lot but I got to give back and experience the beauty of the world at the same time.
When did your modeling career start?
When I graduated from high school, I began pursuing a modeling career. I was working as a model in New York before being selected for, and eventually becoming a finalist on, America’s Next Top Model, Cycle 12. I am now an agency-represented model with experience doing runway, catalog and commercial print modeling. I have been featured in numerous magazines and in print ads for CoverGirl, as well as on billboards in Times Square.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say your life journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I have faced many obstacles in my life. I have to say the periods in my life where I faced the toughest challenges were the passing of my oldest sister and my mom. My oldest sister passed away tragically in 2006, when I was 17. Then in 2010, my mom also passed away. I was 21 then. Those were definitely some of the toughest periods of my life because I was very close to both of them. I was also very young and losing them meant I lost two of my earthly guides. I looked up to both of them for advice and they were always there for me. Thankfully I have other siblings as well, so I don’t feel completely alone. I try to honor both my sister and my mom as much as I can by doing things they would have wanted me to do and trying my best to keep their legacy alive.
We are sorry to hear that and appreciate you sharing.
What else should we know about what you do? Any other accomplishments?
I became a U.S. citizen in 2016. Thankfully Kenya allows dual citizenship, so I didn’t lose my Kenyan citizenship in the process. Through hard work and dedication, I earned a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland’s Phillip Merrill College of Journalism. I worked for CBS in Washington, DC, and was a White House correspondent before relocating to Los Angeles in 2019. I am the founder of Travel CityZen, a travel company I started to share my passion for travel with the world. I host group trips and wellness retreats, but also plan trips for businesses, families, special occasions and solo travelers. I love being in the travel industry because it’s a great way to change the world. Travel has allowed me to meet people from different backgrounds. It has exposed me to different cultures and different perspectives. I am wiser and more creative because of it. Through Travel CityZen, I hope to share the beauty of travel with more people. I want people to know that we may all come from different backgrounds but there is a lot that we have in common.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Visit my website: www.sandranyanchoka.com. There is a contact section there. People can also email contact@sandranyanchoka.com. For trip inquiries, visit: www.travelcityzen.com or email contact@travelcityzen.com. I am also very active on Instagram. People can support by following both my personal account: @sandranyanchoka and my travel account: @travelcityzen. I use the same usernames on all social media platforms.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sandranyanchoka.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/
sandranyanchoka - Facebook: https://facebook.com/
sandranyanchoka - Twitter: https://twitter.com/
sandranyanchoka - Youtube: https://youtube.com/
sandranyanchoka - Other: https://travelcityzen.com
Image Credits
Photos by Michael Rowe
