How Actress and Model Jillian Mercado Is Breaking Boundaries For Disabled Latinas

In 2014, Nicola Formichetti, the former artistic director of Diesel (who has worked with the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga), selected Mercado to appear in the line's spring 2014 ad campaign, launching her modeling career.

Mercado told Racked that she'd originally written off the idea of modeling. "I suppressed the feeling because I didn't think anyone would take me seriously," she said. "I never thought I'd get picked, but my friends encouraged me to try out, because, hey, you never know — and two weeks later, they got back to me."