( CNN ) -- Joan Smalls was 19 years old when she left her family 's home in the countryside of northern Puerto Rico to pursue dreams of walking the runway . In just four busy years , she has risen from department store catalog model to the ranks of fashion 's most-sought-after models , walking for the likes of Jason Wu , Donna Karan and Tory Burch at New York 's 2012 Fall Fashion Week . Along the way , she has broken barriers by becoming the first Latina face of Estee Lauder 's global marketing campaigns in 2011 . She has done runway shows in New York , London , Milan , and Paris and graced the pages of British , French , Spanish and U.S. versions of Vogue several times over . `` Joan is a modern beauty with elegance , style and confidence , '' said Aerin Lauder , former senior vice president , and current style and image director , of Estee Lauder . `` She is the perfect addition to Estee Lauder 's global faces . '' Not bad for someone who used to wear combat boots to casting calls so she could make the trek from Queens to Manhattan . `` I had to take a bus to then take the subway to then go in the city , so I wanted to be as comfortable as possible , '' she said . `` I think that had a lot to do with it , and especially at the beginning , having to go to 10 , 15 castings a day , you want to be as comfortable as possible . '' Photos : Iconic fashion photographer captures intimate portraits . She began wearing heels full-time when she switched agencies in 2009 and began working with IMG 's Kyle Hager . Within a year , she landed her breakthrough gig in high fashion as the exclusive model for Ricardo Tischi 's Givenchy 2010 Couture Show in January 2010 . `` When you want something so bad and when something great happens , I think it 's instinct that you say , this is gon na be the moment that 's gon na change everything . Everybody is gon na see me a different way , '' she said . `` I thank Kyle every day because he made such a big difference in my career and in my life . '' She 's come a long way before her 23rd birthday , and there 's more on the horizon : She 's the face of the spring/summer 2012 campaigns for Chanel , Lacoste and Calvin Klein Jeans , and work keeps coming in . Amid the glitz and glamour , she counts among her greatest achievements helping change perceptions of beauty in fashion and modeling . `` I just want to continue to break barriers and to show the industry and the world that beauty is diverse , and you do n't have to be a certain stereotype to be beautiful , '' she said . `` When you look at the world , the world is n't just one palette . It 's a beautiful rainbow , and why not have someone to represent that rainbow ? ''
Joan Smalls , 22 , has risen from catalog model to one of fashion 's most-sought-after beauties . She 's walked for Jason Wu , Donna Karan and Tory Burch during New York Fashion Week . She is the first Latina to sign on as the face of Estee Lauder 's global marketing campaign . `` Beauty is diverse , and you do n't have to be a certain stereotype to be beautiful , '' she says .