Charlotte Ayanna

Charlotte Ayanna, born in Puerto Rico to Emma Lopez, is a former actress, author, and beauty queen. From a challenging background, where she and her sister Diana were severely neglected and malnourished, Ayanna's journey through the foster care system began early. She lived in 13 foster homes that exposed her to physical, mental and environmental abuse. Yet, despite these hardships, Ayanna made history by winning the Miss Teen USA pageant in 1993, an accomplishment that brought her national exposure. She managed to balance these new responsibilities with her studies and became a spokeswoman for foster children, traveling the US and many foreign destinations speaking to thousands of people.

Ayanna continued to build on her experiences, co-authoring the book "Lost In The System," a chronicle of her life in foster care. A successful national tour for the book’s release followed where she received numerous awards for her advocacy. She shared a platform with AG, Janet Reno, testified to the US Congress, and lobbied the Vermont legislature with Bernie Sanders. Ayanna's mission is to raise awareness about foster children and others less fortunate, inspire them to rise above traumatic backgrounds and embrace their courage to pursue a life of possibilities and dreams.

Her successful career as a film actress allowed her to star alongside Ethan Hawke, Denzel Washington, Hugh Jackman, Adrien Brody, and Ron Perlman. Her performances have been well-recognized; she won the Best Actress award at the Valenciennes International Festival of Action and Adventure Films in 2002. Her final acting role was in the film Rain from Stars, filmed in 2010 but not released until 2014. Ayanna has also made appearances in various television series throughout her acting career. She is in the final stage of completing her second non-fiction novel, exploring a history of the highs and devastating blows of living with untreated PTSD for the majority of her life, where she has worked to overcome these challenges to be reborn free of phantoms that sometimes overwhelmed and derailed her potential. Her inspiring message addresses those who question their capacity to overcome adversities and encourages each and every person to discover the hero within themselves.