She dazzled us at last year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion show. Maria Borges’ presence at the show was especially noteworthy since she was one of seven women of color showcased in the always entertaining and eye-candy magic of a show.

Maria Borges, a native of Angola, won the Ford Supermodel Angola title in 2011 and then a year later quickly transitioned into a steady modeling career–walking shows and appearing in fashion spreads all over the globe. The fashion gods were certainly on her side when she modeled her first major show for Givenchy. Since then, she’s graced the catwalk for notable designers such as Marc Jacobs and Tom Ford, and has also snagged several Givenchy exclusives. And the coolest thing about the young supermodel? She has a tattoo that reads “passo a passo” which means, “be patient; take it step-by-step.”