Charlie’s Angels: That’s what Theresa, LeeAnne and I called ourselves. After going through the many obstacles we've each had in our lives — as well as being the final three left standing in a very tough competition — we shared a common bond. We each recognized the inner and outer beauty in one another, and knew that even though we all wanted to win, we'd be happy for the winner, whoever she was.

Riding in the limo from the Miami airport, we took in the amazing view. We were like three little girls pointing and squealing at every wonderful thing we saw. After arriving at the hotel, we planned a short walk on the beach and then back up to the room to catch up on some much needed sleep. When we got down to the beach, our plans were derailed. There Kim stood, welcoming us to Miami and announcing that we were immediately going into a swimsuit photo shoot. Oh, the life of a model! I thought, “OK, Cindy, suck it up — you’ll get to sleep later.” When it was my turn to take the walk on the beach toward the set, I started to get a little nervous. I never learned the typical swimsuit model poses! Fortunately for me, the photographer gave plenty of direction. All in all, I felt pretty good about the shoot.

In the Presidential Suite, the mood was always light and fun. We spent every waking moment together. What’s surprising is that I think we all felt less tension than we had throughout the entire competition. We weren’t trying to figure out how to beat each other, but rather, how to do our best and beat our own previous work. We knew that we needed to show that we were capable of taking the judges' criticisms and improving upon them.

The next challenge would prove to be difficult for each of us for different reasons. When Navid first held up the bottles of paint and announced it would be our wardrobe for the day, I was excited! I always thought it would be cool to be body painted. For some reason, it didn’t register that we would be NAKED. While being painted and having my hair done I was on edge. It finally occurred to me it would be obvious to everyone that I was naked.

On top of that, I had no clue what to expect from the penguins. Would they be accepting of this naked woman sharing their space?! As I got ready to leave for the penguin habitat, I glanced at a full- length mirror… and that’s when I saw it: black and white body paint on an obviously naked body, and a mohawk with a silver stripe. I looked like a creature from a sci-fi movie… and I loved it! As I stood on the rocks in the penguin habitat, the fear subsided, as the little guys didn’t seem to mind me there. Then a new worry surfaced. I have a secret that a lot of people aren’t aware of — I can’t swim! My thoughts were racing. What if I slip on the rock and fall into the water; who will save me? The worst possible otucome was falling in while naked: Would the paint wash off? I found myself clinging to the rock with my foot, which in the end was obvious to the judges.

We returned to the Presidential Suite and enjoyed our final evening together, toasting with Champagne and wishing each other luck. Knowing this was our last evening together, it was a bittersweet celebration.

The big day had arrived! The three of us were excited, eating our breakfast and talking. Within minutes, the whole mood had changed. Kim arrived, and from past experiences, that meant only one thing. More unexpected news: She announced the final challenge, a runway show we'd do with top Wilhelmina runway models. The reactions were mixed. Theresa was excited as that was her element; she'd done hundreds of shows. LeeAnne, too, seemed OK with it and had a little experience.

I was torn. I had always wanted to do runway, so it excited me. But I never learned it, and the only time I ever stepped foot on a runway was when the 20 finalists had the “sexy challenge.” I know there is an art to walking. I just didn’t know what IT was! Fortunately, we were to be coached by a top runway model. The lesson was less than an hour long, and I didn’t know if that was enough of a lesson to have it stick with me for any length of time.

Sitting in hair and makeup, I was extremely tense as I was surrounded by top Wilhelmina models. After hair and makeup, Theresa, LeeAnne and I took a peek out at the audience. Unbeknownst to them, it wasn’t only the audience that worried me. It was the narrow runway itself, which was situated over a pool. I started to get worried that my secret of not knowing how to swim would come out in front of the judges, audience and viewers at home! As I waited in the line-up to go on stage I started to feel nauseous.

But once I set foot on the runway, everything changed. I felt strong, powerful and beautiful. I’m sure some of that can be attributed to the beautiful clothing we were lucky to wear. But a lot of it was attributed to a recurring daydream I had as a young girl; I always imagined being on a runway with hundreds of people watching. I pictured myself tall, strong and elegant, feeling beautiful. And here I was looking and feeling exactly as I pictured it! I couldn’t wait to get into the next outfit and experience the runway all over again. The next time didn’t go quite the same, though. After taking my first few steps, I realized my dress was caught on my heel. No one ever told me what to do in this instance! Should I stop in the middle, bend over and unhook it, or just stay in the moment, hoping not to fall in the water? My instinct was just to keep going. In the end, Robert thought I did the right thing, but Beverly thought I needed to do the former, even at the risk of falling in the water. I’m still a little confused about that — would the gown look better wet, or caught on my heel? The third dress was definitely a showstopper! I was so happy that Eduardo and Paul chose me to wear it. Going on the runway in that red dress, I regained the feeling I had in my initial walk. I felt triumphant!

Winning this competition is more than a dream come true for me. It's a testimony to the fact that if you keep your dream alive in your heart and never let it waver, it most certainly can come true! Please stay tuned, as I'll be blogging about my experience as a Wilhelmina model. There will also be follow-up interviews posted from all the models, so keep checking back online here.

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