While some high school students dream of being doctors, teachers
and lawyers, 15-year-old Ariana Moreno would rather strike a pose
or solve crime.
”
If the modeling thing doesn’t work out, I would really like to
be an FBI agent,
”
she said.
”
I watch a lot of Law and Order and CSI.
”
While some high school students dream of being doctors, teachers and lawyers, 15-year-old Ariana Moreno would rather strike a pose or solve crime.
“If the modeling thing doesn’t work out, I would really like to be an FBI agent,” she said. “I watch a lot of Law and Order and CSI.”
As a little girl, Moreno participated in a few beauty pageants, but her mom, Juli, pulled her out of them because she didn’t think her daughter was interested. Seven years went by and at the age of 14, Moreno chose to make the commitment and effort and get back into modeling.
“I kept seeing pageants on TV and I realized what I was missing out on, so I decided to go back,” she said.
For the past year, Moreno has spent every other Saturday in Monterey attending Barbizon modeling classes while maintaining a 4.0 grade point average. Along with how to walk, apply her make-up and look into the camera, Moreno said Barbizon has taught her a lot about herself.
“They taught us table manners, how to take care of ourselves, and we had the opportunity to talk about things that were going on in our lives, which was really helpful,” she said. “I think it has really helped me become more confident about myself.”
For the next six months, Moreno will continue training in San Francisco once a month. All of her hard work and long commutes to classes will be worth it when she attends the International Modeling and Talent Convention in Los Angeles in January, she said.
“This is where a lot of people get their big break,” she said. “It’s like the biggest event of the year.”
Along with Moreno, thousands of other modeling and acting hopefuls will be heading to Los Angles, which she said is a little nerve racking.
“I’m super excited that I’m going, but at the same time there are going to be tons of people there who all want the same thing as me so I’ve got to train and try my hardest,” she said.
Whether or not Moreno gets her modeling break, her goal of going to college is still at the forefront. The straight A student hopes on attending New York University, where she can get her education and model on the side.
“A lot of people just assume if you’re pretty then you can’t be smart, but I’ve been getting straight A’s and I want to prove that stereotype to be wrong,” she said. “I really want to be a role model for other girls. Someone they can look up to.”
