For Cameroonian model Solange Omon, a dream of becoming a Victoria’s Secret Angel has become a reality. At 21, she made her runway debut at the 2026 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Los Angeles, following a nationwide casting search that offered aspiring models the chance to join the lingerie brand’s next generation of Angels.

Omon’s journey to the runway is a little different from that of many of the models who have walked before her. Rather than arriving at the show through the conventional route of industry connections and casting calls, she earned her place through Victoria’s Secret’s model search, a process documented in Angels Among Us, the brand’s YouTube docuseries, which began streaming in September.

The win also comes with a major career opportunity: an exclusive modelling contract with IMG Models, the agency representing some of the biggest names in fashion.

Image Credit: Victoria’s Secret/PEOPLE

Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE about the moment she learned she had won, Omon recalled being overwhelmed with emotion. “I was speechless. I started screaming, and as soon as I was done with that call, because I live alone, I was like, ‘I’m driving to my mom because I need to share this news with someone.’ So that day, it was the happiest day of my life, honestly.”

For Omon, the moment represents more than a coveted runway debut. It is the beginning of a new chapter in a career that could take her from a nationwide casting competition to the international fashion stage.

(Photo by Dimitrios Image Credit: Kambouris/Getty Images for Victoria’s Secret)

Victoria’s Secret CEO Hillary Super sees that potential in the young model, describing her as an exciting addition to the brand’s evolving roster of Angels.

“Solange has a spark that’s entirely her own, and that’s exactly what makes her such an exciting addition to the next generation of Angels,” Super told PEOPLE. “Her joy, confidence and individuality embody what the next generation of Angels stand for — women who are unapologetically themselves, who dream big and who inspire others to do the same. We’re thrilled to welcome Solange to the Victoria’s Secret family, and I can’t wait for the world to get to know her.”

With her Victoria’s Secret debut behind her and an IMG Models contract securing her next steps, Omon is looking ahead to what comes next. For a young model whose introduction to one of fashion’s most recognisable runways began with an open casting search, the opportunity is a reminder that a single moment can change the trajectory of a career.

As she puts it, “This is the life that I want to have.”