Ceylone

Dominique Reighard always wanted to be on stage. From her younger brothers’ home videos of her modeling, to her appearing on Cycle 10 of America’s Next Top Model (The CW), her dreams have become her reality. Born and raised in Columbus, Dominique, whose father, Bill, is second-generation German and mother, Dellon, is Jamaican, grew up in Columbus. Her eyes light up as she talks about her modeling career and future aspirations. It is easy to tell that she was born to do this. As a young child, her passion to be on stage and love of dancing compelled her to take every dance class possible, and at age 13, her first modeling opportunity presented itself. She was discovered by a modeling agency and was offered an opportunity in New York. Dominique’s father was in favor of her making the trip, but her mother, who had previously modeled for Columbus area retail catalogs, felt she was too young. Not discouraged, Dominique continued practicing her craft and went on to perform in several plays at the Davis Center. Her high school years were spent at a boarding school in Jamaica. She describes it as “the happiest time of my life,” where she learned how to wash clothes by hand and cook the regional cuisine. Dominique shares that she tried out for America’s Next Top Model five times. After her disappointment of not being selected for Cycle 9, she moved to Los Angeles. Her goal was to turn the dream of high fashion modeling into a reality. Just weeks after her relocation to Los Angeles, she received the call she had been waiting for – she had been selected for Cycle 10 of America’s Next Top Model. That call propelled her to return to Columbus in preparation for departure to an undisclosed location. In addition to the hectic and often demanding schedule, her biggest challenge while taping the show was being away from her daughter, Ceylone, age 3. As a single parent, being away for more than two months was stressful. “I was there for a purpose,” shares Dominique. “I want my daughter to follow her dreams, so I wanted to set a standard for Ceylone to live by.” America’s Next Top Model has proved to be a good learning experience for this hometown girl. “Although we had our cat fights, I valued my experience with each model,” admits Dominique. As most viewers know, the editing of the show doesn’t reveal the full context of the conversations and conflicts that took place. Despite this, Dominique feels she came away from the Cycle 10 experience more poised and prepared, and the exposure is, well, priceless. She shares that in modeling, it is not about being perfect, it is about looking perfect in front of the camera to get that one shot. Dominique plans to follow her America’s Next Top Model experience with a career in modeling, acting and on-air correspondence work. In addition, she has a passion and commitment to community enrichment and charitable support. Her advice to young aspiring models and other professionals: “Always be grounded, remain confident and keep your integrity.”

America's Next Top Model
Reighard was the last girl selected to be part of America's Next Top Model, Cycle 10, with Tyra Banks deciding to open an extra slot for her. She had a rough time during the competition, landing in the bottom two on the second week and consistently being critcized for her draggish and not-so-modelesque looks, but the judges noted that she was good at softening her looks on pictures. She won one team challenge and was tied with Claire Unabia as the best poser of the group. She finished fourth overall.


Modelville and Carol's Daughter
She was then cast in Modelville because she was one of Tyra's favourite top-models. She has stated she took part in the competition because she wanted to explore opportunities in New York City and move there to pursue modeling if she won. Even though she didn't win any of the two challenges, her researching work, her commercial and her personality allowed her to win by an inch over Renee Alway. She won a $50,000 contract and became the newest face of Carol's Daughter, being featured on their website and in ads.


She has just released her first blog on the official website of the brand.