Yaya DaCosta

Yaya DaCosta – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Explore the inspiring journey of Yaya DaCosta, the American actress and model. Learn about her early life, breakthrough moments, acting roles, advocacy, and her most memorable quotes.

Introduction

Yaya DaCosta is an American actress and former model whose path has combined grace, versatility, and resilience. Born on November 15, 1982, she first came to public attention as the runner-up in America’s Next Top Model, and from there forged a career in film and television that spans diverse roles—from medical dramas to biopics. Beyond performance, she is also a dedicated maternal health advocate and birth worker. Her story is one of reinvention, strength, and using public visibility for meaningful change.

Early Life and Family

Yaya DaCosta was born Camara Yaya DaCosta Johnson on November 15, 1982, in Harlem, New York City. English, Portuguese, French, Spanish, and some Japanese.

Her parents were socially active. Yaya has said,

“My parents were very active in the Civil Rights Movement. My father was a Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) worker; my mother was a secretary with the Panthers.”

This activist heritage shaped her worldview—she often speaks of identity, justice, and using one’s voice.

During high school, she attended Northfield Mount Hermon School, a prestigious preparatory school. Brown University, where she majored in Africana Studies and International Relations.

From an early age, she was drawn to performance. According to her IMDb biography, Yaya’s first acting opportunity came at age eleven when her junior-high drama teacher encouraged her to audition for educational film roles; she continued performing in school theater throughout high school and college.

Career and Achievements

Yaya DaCosta’s trajectory took her from modeling competitions to critically recognized acting roles, with advocacy woven into her public persona.

Modeling & America’s Next Top Model

Yaya first entered the spotlight in 2004, as a contestant on America’s Next Top Model (Cycle 3). She finished as runner-up. Garnier Fructis, Olay, Radioshack, Seda, Sephora, Dr. Scholl’s, and on magazine covers like W and Vogue.

Though her start was in modeling, she always had an eye toward acting—and the competition gave her platform, even if she feared being typecast in its aftermath. (In 2025 she publicly made peace with that past. )

Transition to Acting

Her acting career began in 2005, with a guest appearance on the UPN sitcom Eve. Take the Lead (2006), where she played the character LaRhette alongside Antonio Banderas and others.

Over the next years, she took supporting roles in films such as Honeydripper (2007) and The Messenger (2009). The Kids Are All Right and Tron: Legacy.

On television, she had roles in the soap All My Children (2008) as Cassandra Foster, and in Ugly Betty (2009) as Nico Slater.

Her breakthrough TV role came when she joined the cast of Chicago Med in 2015, portraying nurse April Sexton—a role she inhabited for multiple seasons until 2021. Chicago Med, she took the lead in Our Kind of People (though it was canceled after one season).

In 2015, she played Whitney Houston in the Lifetime biopic Whitney, a performance that earned critical praise and a nomination for a Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie or Limited Series.

She has also appeared in The Lincoln Lawyer (recurring and main roles in seasons 2 and 3).

In 2025, she starred in the Lifetime film Not My Family: The Monique Smith Story, in which she also was an executive producer—drawing on deep personal experiences of loss, performance under emotional strain, and resilience.

Advocacy & Doula Work

Beyond acting, Yaya DaCosta has long been involved in maternal health advocacy. She has worked as a birth worker / doula since around 2010.

In 2025, she publicly shared that she had an “ecstatic home birth” for her son in 2013, using that experience as part of her mission to change narratives around birth, especially for Black women, and to promote more empowered birthing choices.

She also founded or hosts the Black Maternal Health Festival, aimed at raising awareness about the Black maternal health crisis, and encouraging open, dignified conversation about birth choices and care.

Historical & Cultural Context

• Yaya’s career spans an era when reality‐TV provided new routes to fame—but also came with stigma for serious actors. Her path illustrates how to transcend that.

• Her biopic of Whitney Houston places her among actors who take on portraying icons—a high-risk, high-visibility form of role.

• As conversations about Black maternal health, representation, and systemic bias become more central, her dual platform as an artist and advocate positions her as part of that cultural shift.

Legacy and Influence

Yaya DaCosta’s legacy is still in formation, but it is already meaningful in several dimensions:

• Representation & range: She has shown that a former model / reality contestant can evolve to play depth roles in drama, biopic, and lead series.

• Activism through art: Her advocacy work around birth and maternal justice extends her influence beyond entertainment into social change.

• Resilience & authenticity: She has spoken openly about grief (with the death of her brother in 2013) and used that to fuel creative resilience.

• Bridging identity and craft: Her multicultural background and multilingualism enrich her identity and help her relate to varied audiences.

Personality and Talents

Yaya is often described as gentle, grounded, and reflective. She tends toward introspection in interviews, stressing emotional truth over performance artifice.

Her talents go beyond acting—her modeling experience endowed her with poise, presence, and an understanding of visual storytelling. Her multilingual skills reflect a cosmopolitan, curious intellect. Her commitment to activism shows dedication and compassion.

In interviews, she emphasizes mood, energy, and intention. One of her guiding sentiments is:

“I try to make my mood uplifting and peaceful, then watch the world around me reflect that mood.”

She also speaks of gratitude and focusing on the good:

“Happiness is the bomb cosmetic! When I’m smiling, sometimes I’m giving thanks for all the things I have rather than worrying about the things I don’t.”

Her perspective on identity is also affirming:

“I feel at home in a lot of places, but I am truly an African-American.”

Famous Quotes of Yaya DaCosta

Here are selected quotes that capture her worldview and voice:

• “I try to make my mood uplifting and peaceful, then watch the world around me reflect that mood.”

• “My parents were very active in the Civil Rights Movement. My father was a Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) worker; my mother was a secretary with the Panthers.”

• “Happiness is the bomb cosmetic! When I’m smiling, sometimes I’m giving thanks for all the things I have rather than worrying about the things I don’t.”

• “I feel at home in a lot of places, but I am truly an African-American.”

• (More quotes are catalogued on BrainyQuote and similar quote archives.)

Lessons from Yaya DaCosta

Yaya DaCosta’s journey offers a number of lessons, especially for those seeking an authentic career path that intersects art and social purpose:

1. Don’t be defined by your start – Starting via reality TV or modeling doesn’t limit what you can become.

2. Use adversity as fuel – Grief, loss, or marginalization can become sources of strength when channeled with care.

3. Leverage visibility for causes – Public figures can use their platform for advocacy (e.g. maternal health).

4. Stay rooted in values – Her sense of identity, mood, and gratitude are constant touchstones in her work.

5. Versatility matters – Acting, modeling, activism, multilingual skills—widening one’s capacities can open more doors.

6. Healing is ongoing – She publicly confronted and made peace with her modeling-reality past, showing that reconciliation is possible.

Conclusion

Yaya DaCosta’s story is not just one of fame, but of evolution—of a young woman who transformed visibility into artistry, and artistry into purpose. From Harlem to Brown University, from Top Model to Chicago Med and biopic roles, she continues to deepen her craft while advocating for maternal justice.

Her voice—through her quotes, interviews, and activism—reminds us that presence, mood, and intention matter. She teaches us that resilience isn’t only about endurance, but about using each chapter—even the difficult ones—to enrich what comes next.

If you’re curious to explore her performances, watch Whitney, Chicago Med, or her recent Not My Family film. And if you’d like, I can also share a full list of her filmography, or interview highlights.