Aaniyah Yvette Zamora
Aniyah is a community-focused student leader and pageant titleholder currently serving as International Junior Miss Teen Florida (2025–2026). She is the founder of Brightening Bedsides, a service-driven platform dedicated to bringing comfort, joy, and encouragement to children in hospitals. The initiative began after she created a drawing for a hospitalized child, an experience that inspired her to expand her creativity into a consistent effort to uplift young patients through personalized handmade cards and small gifts.
Through Brightening Bedsides, Aniyah has produced over 230 handmade cards paired with new, small toys that are delivered to children at a local hospital in Orlando, Florida. Her work focuses on transforming hospital rooms into more positive and comforting spaces, helping children feel seen, valued, and encouraged during difficult times. Her efforts reflect a deep commitment to bedside-level patient care and emotional support for pediatric patients and their families.
Alongside her nonprofit work, Aniyah is the owner of Nya’s Eternal Florals, a small business specializing in ribbon floral arrangements, with proceeds directly supporting Brightening Bedsides. She is also a student at Indian River State College, where she is pursuing a degree in Business Administration with an expected graduation in 2028. Balancing academics, entrepreneurship, and service, Aniyah continues to grow her impact through creativity, compassion, and youth leadership.
• Indian River State College
• International Junior Miss Teen Florida 2025-2026
• Nya's Eternal Florals
• Brightening Bedsides
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to becoming the International Junior Miss Teen Florida for 2025 and 2026, which gave me the platform to create Brightening Bedsides. The platform started when I drew something for a child's hospital room and he ended up loving it, so I decided to make it into a platform to help children in hospitals. My love for drawing, which I use to manage stress from school, became the foundation for this work. When I draw things for children, like handmade cards, it makes the room feel more personalized. I've been able to make over 230 handmade cards with small brand new toys for children at my local hospital in Orlando, Florida. I also created my small business, Nya's Eternal Florals, where I make floral arrangements out of ribbon, and all the proceeds go right into Brightening Bedsides. My goal is to eventually expand Brightening Bedsides nationwide, because it's not just people in my area that need this, it's people around the United States.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve ever received is that you can have a career you love while also using your talents to reach and help others, especially sick children, because your passions and hobbies—like my love of drawing—can become powerful tools for making a real difference.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering my industry is to stay confident in your voice, lead with compassion, and remember that you too can make the difference in your community and beyond.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest opportunity in my field right now is the ability to expand Brightening Bedsides nationwide. I think this platform could give me the opportunity to start expanding it nationwide, because it's not just people in my area that need brightening bedsides, it is people around the United States. Every child in hospitals across the country deserves to receive a handmade card and a little toy to make their hospital room feel more personalized and bring them comfort and joy.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important value to me is bringing comfort, joy, and encouragement to children in hospitals. I created Brightening Bedsides because when I drew something for a child's hospital room and he ended up loving it, I realized I could make a difference. When I draw things for children, like handmade cards, it makes the room feel more personalized. I love to draw, and through my talents and hobbies, I'm able to help these children who are sick. Every child in the hospital deserves to receive a card and a little toy. I even created my small business, Nya's Eternal Florals, and all the proceeds go right into Brightening Bedsides because this cause is so important to me.