Tyra Banks is not just a fashion model. She's a much admired role model as well. At 20 years of age she was the third black woman in the world to sign an exclusive contract with a cosmetics company. At 23 she was the first black model to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated 's Swimsuit issue. Her abiding love for children, animals and the environment, together with her belief in the value of education, makes her a standou t. And she backs up her sentiments with alot more than lipservice. Tyra currently is promoting a line of greeting cards for Children + Families, an organization dedicated to helping abused and neglected kids. T he cards, Cards From The Heart by Tyra's Kidsuccess Kids, were created by children aged 8 and 9 in an after-school reading and arts program. The project is designed to enhance literacy for children living in troubled environments.

She's demonstrated her love for nature by journeying to the Costa Rican rainforest to bring the plight of that endangered ecosystem to the world's attention.

Tyra considers a good education to be a very important part of everyone's life. "A smart model is a good model," she says. Although she didn't attend college herself, at 17 Tyra was planning to attend Loyola Marymount Universty when Elite signed her.

Tyra, who is now represented by IMG, was recently in New York to announce the winner of the YM (Young & Modern) /High School Cover Girl Model Search. After the awards ceremony, Supermodel.com's Dahlia Dean briefly chatted with her.

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