Jessica Karen Szohr (born March 31, 1985 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American model of Caucasian and African-American descent. Jessica was discovered at age 16 where she began working as a Kohl's Department Store model, and is now an actress for the CW's Gossip Girl, where she portrays the role of Vanessa Abrams, a young, beautiful, artist whom remains an outcast among a cluster of New York's most elite, wealthy, teens. Jessica is 5'6 and graduated from Menomonee Falls High School in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. At barely 5 feet 6 inches tall, Jessica falls at the lower end of the the modeling world's height scale. For the past two decades, there has been a growing high demand for multi-racial ethnic models. With her exotic good looks, many companies have expressed interest in Jessica to model their products in due to a demanding diverse demographic. Jessica has also modeled for Crate and Barrel, Mountain Dew, Sears, Quaker Oats, Jockey, Jansport, and Seventeen Magazine, where she received a full page ad for Claire's Boutique. Aside from her notable character Vanessa Abrams, her second most notable performance is acting in the video "Over You" by Daughtry. Jessica has had appearances in many TV shows including: Somebody Help Me, CSI: Miami, Gossip Girl