cassieCassandra Ventura was born in New London, Connecticut, in 1986. The daughter of an African-American mother and a Filipino father, Cassie attended the preparatory Williams School, located on the Connecticut College campus in her hometown. She began modeling when she was fourteen, and by the time she was sixteen, Cassie was modeling for local department stores, Delia’s and Seventeen magazine.

At the same time, Cassie was