In 2005, when she had just turned 13, Daniela Cott went to work scavenging trash on the cobbled streets of a prosperous neighborhood in Argentina. She endured insults from motorists, cuts from broken glass, and hordes of flies. Today, she is one of Argentina's most talked-about new fashion models.

2005年，丹妮葉拉．柯特剛滿13歲，她走遍阿根廷有錢人住的高級社區鵝卵石鋪的街道到處翻撿垃圾。她飽受汽車駕駛辱罵、破碎的玻璃割傷及蒼蠅成群飛舞。今天，她已經成為阿根廷話題時尚名模之一。

Cott, now 17, defeated 1,000 other contestants two years ago to earn the right to represent Argentina in the Elite Model Look final, a major competition for young models from around the globe. Elite Model Management is one of the world's largest modeling agencies, and past pageant participants include Gisele Bundchen and Cindy Crawford.

今年已17歲亭亭玉立的柯特，兩年前擊敗1,000名其他參賽者，代表阿根廷參加精英國際模特兒大賽決賽，這是一場來自全球年輕模特兒共同參與的比賽。精銳模特管理公司則是全球最大的模特兒經紀公司之一，過去參賽者包括巴西名模吉賽爾邦臣和辛蒂克勞馥。

Daniela is currently one of the most talked about models because of her amazing story. It all began one night during mid-2005 when a young woman, necklace designer Marina Gonzalez Winkler noticed her carrying garbage and gave Daniela some clothes and befriended her. Later Winkler took some photos of Daniela and sent them to a modeling agent.

丹妮葉拉目前之所以成為話題名模，主要是由於她感人的故事。話說從頭，2005年年中一個夜晚，年輕的女項鍊設計師瑪莉娜‧岡薩雷茲‧溫克勒注意到丹妮葉拉手提垃圾袋，就送她幾件衣服，兩人也成為好朋友。隨後溫克勒幫丹妮葉拉拍了一些照片，並送到一家模特兒經紀公司去。

Daniela recalled that she was brought up in a simple and modest neighbourhood with her family; she has nine brothers and sisters. When she was growing up, Daniela was not surrounded by the luxuries of a top model: "There used to be just enough money to make ends meet at the end of the month." Working as a cartonera involves going through bags of rubbish and separating the materials into different bags. The family earned about $100 a week, selling the trash they had gathered to recycling centers. Daniela says it wasn't a nice way to make a living and she didn't like doing it but had to do it to help her family.

丹妮葉拉回憶說，她和家人在一個簡單樸實的社區長大，她共有9個兄弟姊妹。成長過程中，丹妮葉拉從來不知超模那些奢華精品為何物：「過去賺的錢只夠每個月收支相抵。」從事資源回收工作，得翻尋一袋袋垃圾，並把回收的資源分門別類裝在不同的袋子裡。把撿來垃圾賣給回收中心，她們家每周可以賺約100美元。丹妮葉拉說，這不是謀生之道，她不喜歡，但為了幫忙家計不得不做。

Daniela never imagined being a model but she was encouraged by Marina Gonzalez Winkler who saw her working. Together they took photographs, practiced walking and then Daniela entered the Elite model competition. Winning the competition was "the greatest moment of my life, I'll always remember it!"

丹妮葉拉從來不敢夢想有朝一日可以當上名模，但在目睹她當街撿垃圾的溫克勒鼓勵下，兩人一起拍照，學走台步，丹妮葉拉不但參加精英模特兒比賽。她說，贏得比賽「是我一生最棒的時刻，我永遠不會忘記！」

Cott made headlines before the Elite competition with the help of her agents, who pitched her Cinderella story to the local press. Television appearances followed. Denise Dumas, a model who hosts a TV fashion and health show, had Cott as a guest last year. "I saw her in the studio and she was divine, tall with wonderful skin," she says. Then Dumas got closer and saw Cott's hands. "There were calluses, cuts, scars, dark blotches and dry patches," she says. "That's when I really began to understand what Daniela had been through."

在經紀公司協助下，柯特甚至參賽前已登上報紙頭條，她的經紀人把她真人版灰姑娘的故事推銷給當地媒體。電視跟進報導。主持阿根廷電視時尚健康秀的模特兒丹妮絲‧杜瑪斯去年曾請柯特上節目當特別來賓。她說：「我在攝影棚看到她，她超凡脫俗，個子高←，皮膚很好。」但等杜瑪斯近看柯特的手，她說：「我才發現她手上長繭，還有刀傷疤痕、黑斑乾癬，當時我才真正開始了解丹妮葉拉有過多坎坷的遭遇。」

Danielle loves the life of a model: giving interviews, posing for pictures and being on the catwalk. In the future Danielle hopes to be an international model. She says she hopes to someday earn enough to buy a new house for her family.

丹妮葉拉喜愛模特兒生涯：不管接受訪問，擺pose拍照和走秀。未來，丹妮葉拉希望能當上國際名模。她表示，希望有朝一日能賺足夠的錢，給家人買一棟新房子。