Born in Clovis, New Mexico but raised overseas in the Philippines, Spain, and Guam of Thai-German descent. I Graduated in Tampa, Fl. with two art scholarships under my belt, and began a modeling career in HI. and New York, but as I came of age, I decided to leave the fashion world behind and enter the world of martial arts.

At 22, I made the decision to move to L.A. to finish art school, and worked with two well-known designers, Michelle Bohbot and Bijan. Turning down a job as a composite sketch artist for the LAPD, I accepted a modeling job for designer Michelle of Bisou Bisou, and was back in the entertainment world.  At 25, dipped my toes into acting, filming the Fast and the Furious, and later V.I.P. in which I played the movie star Lexi Erickson. 

Turmoil struck on September 4, when I was en route from San Francisco to L.A. with two of my close girlfriends, my 5'9 frame wedged in the back seat of a two-door coupe. When the accident happened, I remembered the car fishtailing violently, before it swung around by the force of the impact, and hit the side of the mountain. I was thrown in the back of the drivers seat, and my neck snapped instantly. The car flipped five times and I was thrown out of the window landing 20 feet away.

The moment I opened my eyes in the hospital after my surgery. I felt I was living in a surreal, parallel reality. I had now been transported into the realm of the paralyzed: a C4-5 quadriplegic. The doctors told me I had 3% chance of moving or feeling anything from the neck down. Which I NEVER believed, and never once did I feel I was cursed, or at the receiving end of bad karma. I even had a premonition at 17 that I'd be in a horrible car accident. I'd forgotten about this, and was reminded of it 18 months or so later after the accident, by a friend I had told in the past. The vision was clear, I immediately sensed that I had a mission to fulfill, and that the hope and willpower I felt would guide me to become an advocate for individuals.

Today my road of recovery has taken me in different directions. I have picked up my career: Became an ambassador for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. Im a spokes model for Ti-Lite Wheelchairs and have worked for Target, Nordstrom and Toyota. Ive appeared on Larry King Live, and in People Magazine discussing how to live life to the fullest.  I have energized my acting career by landing three national commercials for AARP, Mabelline, and Sony. I was also in CinemAbility, a documentary to be released in 2013, directed by Jenni Gold, which includes Ben Affleck, Jaime Foxx, and Jane Seymour

Since my injury, I chose not to focus on the negative, but instead to go down a positive path, hoping to be an example for others and especially those in the disability community. My tenacious attitude and purposeful personality allows me to shatter the negative stereotypes as opposed to focusing on them. With my ultimate mission of pushing boundaries, I created, produced and starred in the Sundance Channel's, ‘’Critic’s Choice Awards’’, Best Reality series Push Girls. The exposure of Push Girls gave me the opportunity to make television appearances on Ellen, Jeff Probst Show, Marie Osmond, Access Hollywood, Inside Edition, Good Day LA, Extra, Huffington Post Live, Kcal 9, Katie Couric Show, Good Morning America, and a return segment on Entertainment Tonight. I had the opportunity to showcase my show at The White House.

The reason for joining this phenomenal site of Model Mayhem is to connect and network with those interested (photographers, MUA, and stylist) in creating and reinventing outside of the box. I've been in the business since I was 17 and understand it in every angle and aspect. My goal is to step out of the ordinary into something EXTRAORDINARY by not just being a voice in the industry but also a face. The industry has morphed drastically in many ways by the sizes of the models, to the color, and now I feel it is time to include more variety. Starbucks, Walmart, Pantene, and even Nordstrom to name a few are all including disabled models into their ads. I'm very interested in networking with different individuals and collaborating ideas to reinvent some innovative pieces to introduce to the public and #RebrandDisability.

Thank you for your time and patience.

Love, light, & manifestations,
AngeLa Rockwood/NAMFAH (pronounced Naang-fahhh in Thai.)

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