by Mercedes

October 29, 2009

Like every young girl flipping through the magazines, I could only dream to be a model. But one day, I decided to chase my dream and that was when I decided to move to New York to pursue modeling. It was the most challenging and nerve wracking moment of my life. Without any help, I was alone and clueless and not sure where to begin. For months, I was struggled between jobs to support myself and my modeling career. With all that hard work, nothing had happened for me. So yeah…when I found out that I was selected to be one of the cast members for To Be A Star Academy,

I was very happy, surprised, and disbelieving, all at the same time. Thousands of girls auditioned; and of course most of them are a lot more beautiful than me, so I just couldn’t believe it if it was for real, and was this really happening to me? Then down to 6 girls, I was shocked at first but then thrilled that I was still here.

Being a part of the Academy, I was hoping that it would open new doors of opportunity and give me guidance toward the modeling industry. At the same time, when I first came to the Academy, I was a bit nervous and anticipating, not knowing what I would get out of this. However, as each day progressed, I was exposed to so many new and exciting trainings, activities, and challenges. I got to work with a team of talented professional photographers, makeup and hair stylist. I got people working on my hair and makeup, making me look so beautiful…how amazing is that! Each shoot I was dramatically changed, from cute and happy to edgy and high fashion. It was absolutely a lot of work and long hours, but I had so much fun working in front of the camera.

There is always something new and surprising for us each day at the Academy. I learned how to sing, dance, and act, walk the runway and pose for different styles. Each day, I got to make a fool out of myself in front of people, but at the end of the day, I learned so many new things about myself.

It wasn’t always just work and no fun. We visited an amazing denim jeans showroom, modeled for the clothes, and we got to keep those cute jeans at the end of the day…very cool. We visited a jewelry designer and got to see his new collection, and took home some freebies. We hung out with incredible people from the industry, and learned all the fun tips about fashion…what a journey! Like I said, each day is a new surprise, and I can’t wait to see what’s next in my career!