By Arthia Nixon

Atlanta, Georgia… She made her big screen debut as Natasha in ‘The Hate U Give, and took her community outreach from the streets of Atlanta to the hilltops of Haiti to help orphans. Now, Heaven Hightower, a reigning pageant title holder and the founder of Heaven Help One Help All Foundation is headed to New York Fashion Week.

Hightower is balancing it all while working on several films, getting started at as a middle schooler and completing her first book which she hopes will inspire dark-skinned girls to see their beauty from the inside out. She is also currently nominated for the RICE Awards, Praize Factor Awards and several ATL’s Hottest Awards. For someone with such a public life, Hightower remains humble.

“My mom has always taught my brother CJ and me to focus and to do our best with what we have,” said Heaven. “A lot of people are like ‘Oh my gosh you’re only 13?’ but being kind can start at any age. I  try to find beauty in everything. Even when it comes to me, I love being skinny, I love my kinky hair, I love my dark skin, I love my smile and I love that I am not afraid to express my faith. Self-love and acceptance is very important especially in an industry where people encourage you to change yourself to be a part of a certain trend.”

Hightower also wants to encourage children with learning disorders to find what motivates them to push and to stick to it. She says that even though she has ADHD, she doesn’t see it as a disability.

“The world has to have variety,” she said. “We are all unique individuals and in order for us to get together and to be able to strive, we must learn to be tolerant and accepting of others. It’s also important to never listen to people who say you can’t do something because the thing they are telling you can’t do might be the very thing to define you so we have to succeed and strive for success at all times.”

Hightower is planning to host a few events including a toy and clothing drive for underprivileged children in Atlanta in the coming weeks. She also wants to connect with more students to encourage them to do more for their communities.