At the young age of 16, Julius Gerhardt began his modeling career in Germany. His success was almost instantaneous, and he landed his first cover shot for Vogue within a year of being discovered. Julius was being booked to model all over the world, until a terrible accident left him with burns covering 90 percent of his body.

One fall day in 2014, Julius was painting graffiti on cargo trains in Hamburg with a couple of his friends. But things took a turn for the worse when electricity from a high-voltage cable jumped from the cable to the metal spray can that Julius was holding.

He woke up in the hospital a day and a half later with 90 percent of his body severely burned. The doctors weren't sure if they would be able to save his arm, his leg, or most importantly, his life. They decided to put Julius into a medically-induced coma for about a week so that his body could begin the intense healing process that laid ahead.

Over the next four months, Julius remained in a specialized hospital for burn victims. He endured 10 skin graft operations in order to repair half of his burns. Luckily, the other half healed on their own.

Now fully recovered, Julius is appreciative of what happened to him. He told Cosmopolitan Magazine that just one day before his accident he wrote, "Please, life, give me the next exercise. I want to fall down and grow again and become stronger."

Julius started modeling again after being booked by Prada to do an exclusive fashion show. He says that modeling with his scars makes him feel "super confident to be alive."

I think this young man should be a role model for all of us. He graciously accepted the unfortunate circumstances that were given to him and overcame diversity. Now he remains positive, thankful, and doesn't let his flaws hold him back. I think we all could learn a lot from Julius Gerhardt.