AN America’s Next Top Model star is now a top attorney defending sexual abuse survivors in her own firm 15 years after finding fame.
Kayla Ferrel, who is now 34 years of age, shot to fame in 2010 when she appeared on America’s Next Top Model.
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When she appeared on the show, she competed on Cycle 15 and All-Stars.
And now fans of the hit show have uncovered Kayla’s very different career after making a massive U-turn.
Trading fashion shoots for defending sexual abuse survivors, Kayla is now an attorney.
“Her law firm got advertised to me while scrolling Reddit,” someone explained on the platform as they shared their findings.
“I love that she’s advocating for survivors like herself. It looks like she’s also using her slight notoriety for the greater good.
“Also, I love that she’s doing what she’s been an advocate for (justice for survivors) since her ANTM days,” they explained.
Kayla, who has gotten wed since her ANTM days and is now Kayla Onder, joined OnderLaw in 2014.
Kayla currently leads the firm’s sexual abuse practice and advocates “on behalf of survivors across the country”.
Reacting to Kayla’s new career and life, one person wrote: “I’ve always really liked her, and now I like her even more. Way for her to turn her experiences into something positive.”
“Oh damn, I’m in love with her now,” said a second.
Adding, “She was a great contestant, and I’m so glad to see that she took something terrible and has turned it into something incredible.
“I wish her all the luck in the world.”
A third penned, “That’s amazing she took something incredibly traumatic to her and has made something that will help a huge amount of people.”
On the website for the firm it states that Kayla’s Survivors is, “A fight with meaning.
“A survivor turned sexual abuse attorney.”
It then states, “At Kayla’s Survivors, the fight against sexual violence is a personal one.
“Kayla Ferrel Onder, a survivor herself, has dedicated her law career to inspiring those to find the courage to tell their experience and come together to bring accountability to abusers and failed institutions.”
The website goes on to explain that with “over a decade of building national partnerships with top sexual abuse attorneys”, Kayla and OnderLaw have helped survivors secure nearly $1 billion in recovery.
In their work, they hold sexual violence abusers and their institutions accountable.
When Kayla appeared on ANTM in 2010, she was openly LGBTQ+.
She was described as “a 19-year-old lesbian ex-Hooters waitress from Rockford, Illinois” when she shot to fame.
Kayla is now married to Jim Onder and they reside in St. Louis, Missouri.
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