Even as a teenager, Melania’s beauty was striking. In 1987, at just 15, Slovenian photographer Stane Jerko noticed her.

Though she initially declined to model, she later embraced the opportunity, setting her on a path from runways to magazine covers and eventually the White House.

Those who knew her say Sevnica was too small for her dreams. Melania herself credits her childhood with shaping who she became: disciplined, ambitious, and rooted in family values.