Dreams are closer than you think

By Andrianna Pourchot
Word Contributor

What�s one place you get to learn about fashion, nutrition and how to look great everywhere you go? If you guessed modeling school, you�d be correct. You get to learn how models walk, talk and even dine. But where could you go in this area to learn these things? California? New York? You don�t have to go that far. I graduated from Barbizon Modeling and Talent on Sunday, Aug. 17 in Schaumburg Ill., a Chicago suburb. Dreams really are closer than you think.

Barbizon Modeling and Talent School was established in 1939. It has produced stars such as Moises Arias (Rico-Hannah Montana), Carmen Electra, Jon Kent Ethridge (Out of Jimmy�s Head), Lauren Storm (Flight 29 Down, The Game Plan), and Camp Rock�s own Demetria Lovato. Barbizon has talent centers in 32 of the 50 states. It also has international centers, which include Bangkok, Thailand, Santo Domingo and Ontario, Toronto.

Barbizon teaches students that they should be confident no matter where they are or who they are with. Here are a few tips to walking like a model:

-Use good posture; stand up straight with your hands at your sides. Do not cross your arms. It makes you look bored.

- Never slouch. It makes you look sloppy.

- Have your chest up but not out.

- Look forward with your head up.

- Place one foot directly in front of the other.

- And as former supermodel Tyra Banks says, �Treat every hallway like a runway.�

So if your self-esteem level isn�t exactly at its highest point, remember: you can get confidence by walking correctly, even though it may not seem like it.

The steps and necessary tools to being confident are:

- Of course, clothes you look and feel good in.

- Speaking well.

- Branching out; try to make more friends.

- Some people don�t realize how good a smile can make you look. If you look happy, you look confident. Makes sense, doesn�t it?

My experience at Barbizon has been absolutely amazing. The day I auditioned, I had to recite a cold-read � material I�ve never read before � into a camera, to my very first window modeling job. I stood in a window and modeled clothes for New York and Co.

My first audition for the International Modeling and Talent Association was very nerve-racking. If I made it, I would go to LA for a week, learn from professionals, audition for more than 200 agencies and compete for different awards. I was so nervous. The next day, I awaited the time to call and hear my results. 4:15 rolled around and my best friend handed me the phone.

�It�s time,� she said.

I felt like I wanted to throw up. I dialed the number. Ring � ring � ring. They answered and told me to call back in 15 minutes.

That was the longest 15 minutes I�ve ever experienced. They grade you on a scale just like at school: F-A+. They say you almost never make it on your first audition. Our teachers told us this is pretty much just a learning experience.

I finally got the extension to the judges.
Three little words I thought I wouldn�t hear for at least another year came out of the lady�s mouth.

�You made it,� she said. �The judges gave you an A+.�

I thought I saw a pig or two flying outside. I was almost crying. She asked if my mom was around. I handed the phone to her.

The night before, we were looking through some of the paperwork. Something as extravagant as this isn�t cheap. Actually, it�s more than $6,000. My mom told the lady that I was unable to go due to monetary reasons. Something that big needs time for planning! The lady understood completely. We are getting sponsors, as Barbizon says many students do, and I am going next year. What really matters is that I was good enough to be accepted in the first place.

My parents have given me so much in the past seven months � my whole life, actually. How could I possibly be angry at them for not sending me to LA? They have had to buy me clothes, pay for the outrageous costs of gas, deal with the hassle of driving me 100 miles every other Saturday, which takes up 8 hours of their time. (My mom has driven me up there most the time. Mom, thank you so much for that.) They�ve done so many things that they must either really believe in me a lot or REALLY want that new car I promised them if I start making money! (Just kidding about the car.)

One thing that I will never forget is the placement conference with the agency manager, Ms. Brikta. The placement conference is when students and their parents meet with Ms. Brikta to decide what field they will be working in once they are registered with Royal Model Managment.

I thought I was going to be told what 93 percent of students are told: that they would be best in the commercial field. That means you look like the everyday person. They take all looks and all sizes. What I really want to do more than anything is model in the high-fashion area. I�ve wanted this since I was 8. I�m tall enough, there�s no doubt about that, but high-fashion models tend to be super skinny. I am not.
I thought I would never be told I was high-fashion material. Boy, did that agency give my head a spin.

Ms. Brikta: �How do you feel with working on the runway?�

Andrianna: �I absolutely love it.�

MB: �Because we feel you are more in the high-fashion category.�

A: Silence.

My mouth dropped about two inches from the floor. She knew I had just heard probably one of the best things I will ever hear aside from my wedding proposal.

Fortunately, Ms. Brikta said I�d be great in commercials, too, because I�m too young to work in the high-fashion industry yet.

The graduation was so amazing. There was a real runway, professional D.J., and photographers. The feeling of being up on the runway was such an adrenaline rush. Now that I�m done with the school, I�m getting my headshots (which are pictures of actor�s heads) and my composite cards in a few weeks. Composite cards, or comp cards, as the industry calls them, are a model�s tool for work. They have one 5x7 picture of you on one side and four smaller pictures on the back. At the bottom is your weight, height, eye and hair color and age. Attached to both is your resume. That tells what kind of jobs you are seeking in the industry and what your experience is. You also list awards you�ve won and other things that basically brag about you.

One of the first things I thought when I found out Barbizon wanted me was, "I�d better work my butt off at Barbizon so I can work my butt off for Barbizon." But even if I get no work at all, if no other agency wants me, I learned a few really important things I will try to carry with me for the rest of my life. I know I can do anything if I set my mind to it.

The more real this becomes, the more surreal it seems. I learned what to do at dinner parties; I learned how to walk like a model; I�m trying to speak well; I�m way more confident than when I started, and I�ve noticed I�m a little bit stronger when things happen that I don�t want to happen. Maybe those aren�t huge things, but they are making me a better person. And isn�t that all anyone can really ask for? And oh ... my dreams are really coming true, too ... what a bonus!