Her story began in 2017, when she was a 19-year-old biochemistry student at Plymouth State University. Born in Egypt to South Sudanese parents and raised in the United States, Yai’s path to fame was anything but conventional. In October of that year, while attending Howard University’s Homecoming event in Washington D.C., she was spotted by street-style photographer Steven Hall. He captured a photo of her at the end of the day and shared it on Instagram with the caption: “Saw her at the end of Yardfest. Stunning @anokyai.” Within hours, the image went viral across social media platforms.
