DESPITE BEING MARRIED TO THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATE IN AMERICAN HISTORY, MELANIA TRUMP REMAINS AN ENIGMA. THE
MYSTERY THAT COMES WITH HER RESERVED PERSONALITY MAKES MELANIA AN EASY
TARGET FOR LIBERALS AS ARTICLES LABELING HER AS A "MANNEQUIN" AND
CONDEMNING HER SILENCE ARE PUBLISHED DAILY. WHEN I LEARNED THE
TRUTH ABOUT MELANIA TRUMP, I REALIZED SHE WAS THE LIVING DEFINITION OF
A - THE KIND OF FIRST LADY THAT AMERICA HAS BEEN DEPRIVED OF FOR FAR TOO
LONG. MELANIA TRUMP HAS GRACED THE COVERS OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS
FASHION INDUSTRY MAGAZINES. BUT LIKE MANY AMERICANS TODAY, MELANIAS SUCCESS
WAS THE RESULT OF A COURAGEOUS WORK ETHIC AND HUMBLE BEGINNINGS.
MELANIJA KNAVS WAS BORN ON APRIL 26, 1970 IN THE SMALL SLOVENIAN
RAILROAD TOWN OF SEVNICA - LONG BEFORE SHE CHANGED THE SPELLING OF HER NAME
TO PURSUE A MODELING CAREER. DESPITE THE STRUGGLES MANY SLOVENIANS FACED
DURING THE COUNTRYS COMMUNIST TIMES, THE KNAVSES WORKED EXTREMELY HARD TO
GIVE THEIR CHILDREN A POSITIVE UPBRINGING. MELANIAS MOTHER,
AMALIJA ULCNIK, WORKED DEVELOPING PATTERNS AT A FACTORY THAT MANUFACTURED
CHILDRENS CLOTHING. SHE HAD MET VIKTOR KNAVS IN 1966 WHO WORKED AS A
CHAUFFEUR FOR A NEARBY TOWNS MAYOR. THEY INSTILLED MELANIA AND HER
SISTER WITH CONSERVATIVE VALUES SUCH AS PUTTING FAMILY FIRST AND HAVING
EXCEPTIONAL WORK ETHIC. AFTER LOOKING AT THE PICTURE OF MELANIAS PARENTS
BELOW, ITS CLEAR SHE INHERITED THEIR TIMELESS GOOD LOOKS TOO!
_"I LOVE MY CHILDHOOD. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL CHILDHOOD," MELANIA SAID. HER
SON, BARRON (10), SPEAKS SLOVENIAN FLUENTLY AND USES IT TO SPEAK WITH HIS
GRANDPARENTS, WHO NOW LIVE NEAR THE TRUMPS IN NEW YORK AT TRUMP TOWER._
MELANIAS FATHER LEFT HIS JOB AS A CHAUFFEUR TO BECOME A SALESMAN AT A
STATE-OWNED CAR COMPANY IN LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA AND FOUND HIS FAMILY AN
APARTMENT THERE - ALL TO PROVIDE HIS CHILDREN WITH EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATION
OPPORTUNITIES WITH THEIR NEW PRESTIGIOUS ADDRESS. AMALIJAS CAREER AS
A SEAMSTRESS HAD A PROFOUND IMPACT ON MELANIA. ONCE MELANIA LEARNED TO
DRAW, SHE WOULD SKETCH HER OWN DESIGNS, AND HER MOTHER OR SISTER, INES,
WOULD SEW THEM. MELANIA ALSO MADE HER OWN JEWELRY. AMALIJA SPENT
EVENINGS AFTER WORK SEWING CLOTHING FOR HERSELF AND HER TWO DAUGHTERS.
INSTEAD OF WEARING CLOTHES FROM THE STORE, THE KNAVSES DESIGNED AND SEWED
EVERYTHING THEY WORE. MELANIAS CHILDHOOD FRIENDS REMEMBER HER ALWAYS BEING
DRESSED ELEGANTLY AND CARRYING HERSELF WITH CONFIDENCE - THERE WAS ALWAYS
SOMETHING STRIKING ABOUT HER. MELANIAS MODELING CAREER BEGAN WHEN
SHE WAS 16-YEARS-OLD AT A MODELING CONTEST WHEN SHE ATTRACTED THE ATTENTION
OF PHOTOGRAPHER STANE JERKO, WHOSE TEST PHOTOS OF THE BREATHTAKING TEENAGER
RESULTED IN HER SIGNING WITH A MODELING AGENCY IN MILAN. DESPITE
HER SUCCESS AS A MODEL, MELANIAS GOAL WAS TO BECOME A DESIGNER. SO SHE
APPLIED TO THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LJUBLJANA IN
SLOVENIA, BECOMING ONE OF THE FEW TO PASS THE SCHOOLS NOTORIOUSLY DIFFICULT
ENTRANCE EXAMS. WHILE PURSUING HER DEGREE IN DESIGN AND
ARCHITECTURE, MELANIA REMAINED FOCUSED IN SCHOOL. SHE DIDNT DRINK, OR
PARTY, NOR DID SHE SMOKE. EVEN WITH THE TEMPTATIONS SURROUNDING HER AS A
COLLEGE STUDENT AND SUCCESSFUL MODEL, MELANIA LIVED A QUIET HOMEBOUND LIFE.
_"SHE KEPT TO HERSELF, SHE WAS A LONER. AFTER A SHOOT OR A CATWALK, SHE
WENT HOME, NOT OUT. SHE DIDNT WANT TO WASTE TIME PARTYING," JERKO
REMEMBERS._ AFTER OBTAINING A DEGREE IN DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF LJUBLJANA, MELANIA WAS JETTING BETWEEN PHOTO SHOOTS IN PARIS
AND MILAN - BUT MELANIA HAD EVEN BIGGER DREAMS. MELANIA KNEW THAT IF SHE
WANTED TO ACHIEVE HER GOALS SHE WOULD HAVE TO MOVE TO AMERICA.
SHORTLY AFTER SHE BEGAN PURSUING HER MODELING DREAMS IN AMERICA, MELANIA
STRUGGLED TO FIND WORK BECAUSE SHE WAS CONSIDERED "TOO OLD." THE MODELING
INDUSTRY ISNT FRIENDLY TO MODELS ONCE THEY HIT THEIR LATER TWENTIES, AND AT
JUST 26-YEARS-OLD, MELANIA WAS WORRIED HER BEST DAYS WERE ALREADY BEHIND
HER. MELANIA WENT TO CASTINGS EVERY DAY, BUT PHOTOGRAPHERS CONTINUED
PICKING SOMEONE ELSE OVER HER, AND OFTEN SOMEONE YOUNGER. SHE WAS HAVING A
DIFFICULT TIME SUPPORTING HERSELF, AND ENDURED THE CHALLENGING SEASON WHILE
BEING OVERSEAS, AWAY FROM HER TIGHT-KNIT FAMILY BACK IN SLOVENIA.
EVENTUALLY, MELANIA GOT HER "BIG BREAK" AND IT WASNT LONG BEFORE SHE GRACED
THE MAGAZINES COVERS OF VOGUE, HARPERS BAZAAR, BRITISH GQ, IN STYLE, NEW
YORK MAGAZINE, THE SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SWIMSUIT ISSUE, ALLURE, SELF,
GLAMOUR, VANITY FAIR, AND ELLE. WHILE AT A PARTY DURING THE NEW
YORK FASHION WEEK IN THE FALL OF 1998, MELANIA MET . SHE WAS A TALL, SHY
BRUNETTE AT JUST 28-YEARS-OLD - WHILE TRUMP WAS A BRASH 52-YEAR-OLD REAL
ESTATE MOGUL. _"I DIDNT KNOW MUCH ABOUT DONALD TRUMP," SHE SAYS OF THEIR
FIRST ENCOUNTER. "I HAD MY LIFE, I HAD MY WORLD. I DIDNT FOLLOW DONALD
TRUMP AND WHAT KIND OF LIFE HE HAD."_ ALTHOUGH TRUMP ATTENDED THE
PARTY WITH A DATE, HE WAS INSTINCTIVELY DRAWN TO MELANIA. WHEN TRUMPS DATE
WENT TO THE BATHROOM, HE SEIZED THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHAT FOR A FEW MINUTES
WITH THE SLOVENIAN MODEL HED NOTICED. UNLIKE THE WOMEN WHO SWOONED EVERY
TIME THE FAMOUS BILLIONAIRE APPROACHED THEM, MELANIA REMAINED UNIMPRESSED.
WHEN TRUMP ASKED FOR HER NUMBER, SHE REFUSED AND INSTEAD ASKED FOR HIS
CONTACT INFORMATION - SHE DIDNT WANT TO BE JUST ANOTHER WOMAN HE CALLED,
AND SHE WAITED AN ENTIRE WEEK BEFORE CALLING HIM. _MELANIA WAS CURIOUS
TO SEE IF TRUMP WOULD SUBMIT A BUSINESS NUMBER. "I WANTED TO SEE WHAT HIS
INTENTION IS," SHE EXPLAINS. "IT TELLS YOU A LOT FROM THE MAN WHAT KIND OF
NUMBER HE GIVES YOU. HE GAVE ME ALL OF HIS NUMBERS."_ MELANIAS
CONFIDENCE AND SHOCKING REACTION TO THE WEALTHY PLAYBOY MADE TRUMP EVEN
MORE ATTRACTED TO HER. TRUMP COULD TELL MELANIA WAS BEAUTIFUL AND
INTELLIGENT, AND HE WAS WILLING TO DO WHATEVER IT TOOK TO WIN THE WOMAN OF
HIS DREAMS. _"IM NOT STAR STRUCK," SHE EXPLAINS. "WE HAD A GREAT
CONNECTION, WE HAD GREAT CHEMISTRY, BUT I WAS NOT STAR STRUCK. AND MAYBE HE
NOTICED THAT."_ MANY ARE QUICK TO CRITICIZE DONALD AND MELANIAS
MARRIAGE DUE TO THEIR AGE DIFFERENCE, BUT AFTER LEARNING MORE ABOUT MELANIA
- ITS EASY TO UNDERSTAND THAT THESE TWO WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER. MELANIAS
RESERVED PERSONALITY AND TRADITIONAL VALUES BALANCE TRUMPS ASSERTIVE
PERSONALITY AND CONTROVERSIAL BEHAVIOR. MELANIAS TRADITIONAL VALUES
CAN BE SEEN IN HER ABSENCE FROM TRUMPS CAMPAIGN TRAIL. INSTEAD OF BEING ON
THE ROAD WITH HER HUSBAND, MELANIA CHOSE TO BE AT HOME IN NEW YORK CITY TO
RAISE THEIR 10-YEAR-OLD SON, BARRON. _"ITS MY CHOICE NOT TO BE THERE
[ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL]," MELANIA SAID. "I SUPPORT MY HUSBAND 100 PERCENT,
BUT …WE HAVE A 10-YEAR-OLD SON TOGETHER, BARRON, AND IM RAISING HIM."_
_"THIS IS THE AGE HE NEEDS A PARENT AT HOME," SHE ADDED._
_"I encouraged him because I know what he will do and what he can do for
America," she said. "He loves the American people and he wants to help
them."_ ALTHOUGH SHES NOT OUT ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL, MELANIA STAYS
INVOLVED IN HER HUSBANDS CAMPAIGN BEHIND-THE-SCENES. _"Shes told me a
couple of times during the debate, she was very happy with my performances,
if you would want to call them a performance," Donald Trump said. "But she
said, You could tone it down a little bit on occasion, which I
understand."_ _"She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is
on her tongue." - Proverbs 31:26_ MELANIA REVEALED THE BIGGEST UNTRUTH
ABOUT HER HUSBAND IS THE PERCEPTION THAT HES "NASTY." _"Hes not,"
Melania said. "He has a big heart and [a] very warm heart. You see who he
is on the campaign trail all the time and on television, and I think - you
know America needs a strong leader and a tough leader and [he] knows what
hes doing."_ _"He is who he is," she says. "Even if you give him
advice, he will maybe take it in, but then he will do it the way he wants
to do it. You cannot change a person. Let them be. Let them be the way they
are."_ Melanias passion for philanthropy are just a glimpse of the
difference she could make as our First Lady. Some of the philanthropic
causes shes been involved with include the Martha Graham Dance Company, the
Police Athletic League, the Boys Club of New York, The American Red Cross
and Love Our Children USA. _"She opens her arms to the poor and
extends her hands to the needy." - Proverbs 31:20_ Though she may not
have experience in politics, Melania Trump is equipped to help her husband
out on the diplomatic front: in addition to her native Slovenian, Melania
speaks four other languages: English, French, Serbian and German. _"Shes
an incredible mother, she loves her son, Barron, so much. And I have to
say, she will make an unbelievable First Lady," Donald Trump said._
_"She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread
of idleness." - Proverbs 31:27_ Melania Trumps life story is a vivid
illustration of the American dream. Her humble roots, exceptional work
ethic, and devotion to family clearly sets her apart. If Melania can make
it all the way from Slovenia to the White House, theres no excuse for
excuses, liberals. _"She is clothed with strength and dignity; she
can laugh at the days to come." - Proverbs 31:25_ DID YOU LEARN
SOMETHING NEW ABOUT DONALD TRUMPS "TROPHY WIFE?" AMERICA CAN USE A FIRST
LADY LIKE YOU. PLEASE SHARE THIS ARTICLE IF YOU AGREE!
North Sanpete Junior High 1936-37
FACULTY - 1936-37
Hamilton Elementary 1941
HAMILTON GRADE SCHOOL BAND 1933-34: Marsden Allred, teacher
HAMILTON ELEMENTARY FIFTH GRADE Year ???
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