Sheis got the look. L. Chinwe Onyeagoro i00 doesnit just walk into a room, she makes an entrance. Her willowy 6i1i frame, sky-high cheekbones and flawless complexion always turn heads. And ever since the remarkable moment eight years ago when she was idiscovered,i her image has graced the catwalks of New York and the televisions of Japan. When sheis not jetting about posing for the cameras, however, the East Asian Studies and Economics concentrator hangs out with her blockmates in Eliot or stresses about her next thesis chapter. And, like so many other Harvard students, Chinwe has struck a balance between class and activities. Instead of rowing crew or clocking hours at the IOP, she juggles the daily grind of schoolwork with the glitz and glamour of modeling.

And sheis not the only one. Elizabeth iEmmyi Hancock i00, a former Miss Massachusetts, also committed herself to the modeling industry. A veteran of TV commercials, Emmy received even more hot offers after capturing her pageant title. Beginning to get her portfolio together, Ashanti A.W. Decker i02 is breaking into the world of stick-thin women, Diet Cokes and haute couture. Trying her hand at photo shoots and runway shows for the first time, Ashanti is learning what it takes to be like Naomi, Cindy and Giselle.

Most models accidentally stumble onto their opportunities. Ashanti was simply strolling down Mt. Auburn Street, heading back to Dunster from the Yard, when a car pulled up next to her. iI was just walking down the street and some guy stopped me,i she says. iAt first, I was like, eWhat the hell?ii But the man told her she should get in touch with his fiance, a modeling agency director, and Ashanti figured it could be legitoand it was. The Organization, a new Boston agency owned and operated by young black people, now has Ashanti striking poses in photo shoots and putting together a composite card.

Like any typical first-year at Concord Academy, a high school 20 minutes outside of Boston, Chinwe was hanging out at The Cambridgeside Galleria when a woman came up to her and asked her the notorious question, iHave you ever thought about modeling?i As luck would have it, Dynasty Modeling Agency had set up camp in the mall to snap shots of glamour-girl wannabes, and Chinweothe most glamorous of them alloleft the mall with a business card and an offer to take test shots. After talking it over with her mom, she decided to check out Dynasty for herself. The downtown Boston operation, wallpapered in icomposite cardsi of their modelsi headshots, overwhelmed the 13 year-old. But the agency fell for Chinwe. Hearing her age, their response was, ieOh, shut up.i They thought I was 18 or 19.i

In another chance encounter, Sarah E. Lewis i01 happened to get a hair cut at a Boston salon the day Revlon representatives were seeking models for a print ad. Before she left, they convinced Sarah to audition and she ended up with a three-part print campaign for Revlon hair products and a deal with the Ford Modeling Agency.

However some still get into modeling the old fashioned wayoby working their own way up without the boost of random discovery. First-year Lauren M. Jiggettsi mother sent in pictures to a modeling agency when she was just five months old. Her first job came soon after, with an appearance in an ad for K-Mart. As she matured, so did her career; she went on to model for magazines like YM and Teen.

Most models do not score big contracts so soon. Chinweis first job was not strutting in Escada or flexing her calves for Manolo Blahnik; she landed a few photos in a science textbook for Houghton-Mifflin. iThey put me in a yellow T-shirt. Then I was holding some sort of tube,i she remembers. It may not have been New York Fashion Week, but it certainly introduced her to the industry.

Before Emmy won the title of Miss Massachusetts in 1998, she had a childhood of modeling for television and print. An avid performer, Emmy auditioned for a childrenis modeling and talent agency after soloing in a church choir. After turning down her first offer, Emmy began to climb through the ranks of modeling. iI was offered a contract, but Mom and Dad said no. I think the phrase echild modeli conjured up some scary images for them, and they were very against my having a Jon Benet Ramsey kind of life.i

The only drawback of starting modeling at such a young age, Emmy says, is that her entire life is now documented on film. She remembers the disappointment of her ads and TV appearances gradually going out of style. Soon after a photo shoot she did in high school, Emmy says, ithe supercool eZ. Cavsi I was wearing in the film mysteriously went out of style. Now thereis a permanent image of me on tape in early 90is fashion complete with braces,i she recalls. To have those igrowing painsi scrutinized by the rest of the world was often difficult, Emmy says, lamenting the pain of fame.

Emmyis first job was a shoot for Leviis. The problem? She couldnit roller skate. As a solution, one of the camera crew pulled her around the rink backwards. Though she has moved on from roller skating rinks, Emmy says that she is still often typecast as the short, cute 17-year-old. Despite some disappointment from agents that she is not six feet tall, Emmy has never let anything hold her back. At an event earlier this year to model formalwear for J.C. Penney, Emmy was once again placed into the teen-queen mold. iOther models my age, all of whom were taller, got to wear college-age cocktail dresses,i she remembers. iI got stuck in the prom and homecoming wear. I felt better when my eescorti model told me he played football for Dartmouth. It took me awhile to figure out that he meant Dartmouth High.i

Presenting a more adult image makes it easier to get high-profile work. So as Chinwe grew up, she started to work for small-time Boston designers and segued into New York City gigs. Even after discovering that she could excel in the modeling world, Chinwe shied away from plunging entirely into the sometimes brutal and unforgiving miasma of high fashion. She always considered modeling to be a sideline to her studies and the pursuit of a college education. iI had a lot of constraints, and I wasnit able to do all of the things they offered me,i she says. Her first priority has always remained making the most out of her Harvard education. iYou bring your homework with you to shoots and stuff,i she explains. iI didnit really ever want to do modeling, I just wanted to make some money on the side. During the summers, I never knew if I should do an internship, or go to New York or Paris and do modeling.i

During her semester abroad in Japan, with a slower paced life, Chinwe grabbed the chance to explore the idea of modeling in-depth and saw what a Rebecca Romaine life could be. Other women were catty, choosing to nurture egos rather than build friendships. iThereis always some glaring at the auditions,i Chinwe complains. iAnd there are always the cliques of girls from different modeling agencies.i Featured in several big runway shows while abroad, Chinwe came to enjoy the chance to meet other models. iItis harder because the designers are a lot more fussy,i she says. iThereis a lot of waiting.They wait until the last five minutes to tell you that you have two minutes to get ready because they donit want you to wrinkle the clothes.i

One of Chinweis most memorable modeling experiences was auditioning for a Honda commercial in Japan. When she walked into the audition room, seven people began to inspect her and scribble notes on pads of paper. They directed her to a video camera and told her to talk about herself. iThey were taking themselves entirely too seriously,i Chinwe recalls. iThen they said, ePlease dance for us.ii With no music playing, and no clue whether the intense group was looking for ballroom or salsa, Chinwe did her best to groove to the silence. Obviously, her moves impressed. She got the gig and had to wear the skimpy costume: ipatent leather booty shortsothatis the fashion term.i The concept for the commercial was four foreigners in a car coaxing the South African driver into buying a Honda from a virtual car dealership. Her part included rubbing her legs and saying random English words. iAt the end they had each of us do funky dances around the car,i she says.

After years as a performer, Emmy grew used to the trials of photo shoots and often-ridiculous feats required of models. Some modeling conditions still stunned her. A few weeks ago, Emmy appeared in a bridal event, but was mistakenly cast as the mother-of-the-bride. iI got there, and there had been some screw-up with my age and sizes. Instead of having a bridal gown there that would fit me, they had a purple mother-of-the-bride plus-size suit. The director still insisted that I wear it!i she recalls. iThey stuck a million pins all over it, stuffed the top, and put me in six-inch heels so that it didnit drag the ground. Needless to say, it looked terrible.i

Through posing for the camera and wearing the state crown, Emmy has learned the tricks of her trade. One of the weirder techniques she encountered is ibutt glue,i which is used during the swimsuit competition at Miss America pageant. iI will not deny it. I have seen some rather scary uses of duct tape, but wouldnit subject myself to such pain,i she admits. iOn the other hand, laugh if you must, but if anyone reading this had to walk in front of three million people in a bathing suit, I know they would want to make absolutely certain that it stayed in one place. I think the preferred adhesive isnit really glue, but something called eFirm Grip.ii Emmy insists football star Deion Sanders also uses it.

Ashanti, the novice of the group, is still growing accustomed to the idea of mugging for the camera and the culture that accompanies it. Her first few shoots have revealed a lot about the profession. iI worked with one guy who was a student and he had me do a lot of fun poses, but then I had this guy who was real weird and dirty,i she remembers. iI was like, eYeah. Get away from me.ii She admits the situation was disturbing, but sheis excited to branch out into other aspects of the industryoparticularly runway work. Her manager, Cat, says the catwalk will be Ashantiis focus, but other than a low-key fashion competition in Dorchester, she has not had the chance to try sashaying past the paparazzi. With her amateur status, Ashanti herself has difficulty adjusting to being a model. iEveryday I look in the mirror and see the same face,i she says. iIim just me to me.i But Cat sees more. iSheis very Londonosheill do very well abroad,i she asserts.

No one has ever recognized Chinwe on the street from any of her ads or appearances, but just from looking at her, people can often figure out she was meant for beauty fame. iSometimes itis endearing, sometimes its frustrating,i she explains. iPeople will come up to me on the street and ask if I am a model. People say, eyou are striking and beautiful.ii In Japan, she experienced the life of a star because one person would approach her and ask for her autograph or a picture and then a swarm of people would descend on her assuming she was a celebrity. iIt was quickest just to sign them and meet up with my friends 10 minutes later,i she jokes.

Although she doesnit take the scene entirely seriously, Chinwe has managed to traverse a spectrum of modeling experiences. iThere is a wide range of jobs that you can get, and it depends on your age and what kind of look you have,i she says. Being a black model in Boston immediately puts Chinwe in the category she likes to call, ifunky black girl.i Just this week she auditioned for an educational CD-ROM to play iFiona,i yet another funky black girl. In Japan, her part was even more stereotypedofor example, the Honda commercial. In a typical month, Chinwe only gets paid for about six hours of work. But itis the preparation for those few hours that absorbs the bulk of her time. Much energy is spent on auditioning, which she does frequently. Each audition requires a half an hour of careful scrutiny from potential employers who ask her to read lines, pose with different expressions and try on different clothes. Some jobs require the modelsi presence all day long even if most of it is just spent waiting.

From what sheis learned in the industry, modeling isnit all itis cracked up to be. The fame and wealth that surrounds such supermodels as Niki Taylor and Elle MacPherson is often simply an illusion for the rest of the modeling world. iIf this was what my future was banking on, I would have a different attitude,i Chinwe says. iBut I just go into it for fun. I understand and respect that it is different for a lot of the other girls.i For a lot of the girls involved in modeling, the lifestyle can be dangerous. Chinwe has the unique position of being asked by her managers to gain weight, instead of starving herself. But bulimia and anorexia are common in the industry, as are drugs. iYou see it,i Chinwe says. iYouill be sitting next to someone who will excuse themselves for the bathroom and then come back with lots of energy.i Young girls on their own, away from their parents and in foreign countries, are the most susceptible to the dangers. The attraction of acquiring waif-like Kate Moss stardom is too much to bear for many aspiring modelsothey turn to alternate modes of attaining the perfect body. Luckily, Chinwe says she has managed to stay away from getting caught up in the scene.

Lauren has also seen the seedier side of the modeling world. iMy roommate during my YM photo shoot was anorexic. There is an inherent pressure in the modeling agency to be a certain size. A size 10 is often considered plus size for modeling,i she explains. In Laurenis experience, modeling agents have encouraged extreme anorexic behavior, including one agent who told her to restrict her diet to water.

In the end the Harvard models would rather bank on their brain than their butts. Cat, Ashantiis manager, says her agency understands the importance of their modelsi education and she tries to work around their schedules whenever possible. iAshanti is one big brain. Sheis handling it well,i Cat declares. But when the time conflicts become insurmountable, the models have to create priorities. Sarah broke her contract with Ford after just a few months because she was iflakingi on too many auditions and didnit want to string them along any more.

Lauren gave up modeling a while back when she had to get braces, but she still gets flack for her past. iA lot of guys would tease me,i she complains. iI had this one friend who would always say, eMake love to the camerai every time we took a picture together!i

Chinwe says that after her graduation this spring, she plans to give up the glamour altogether. As Chinwe muses over numerous job offers, she says that she will not miss the catwalk. iIim leaning towards McKinsey right now, but I am also working at a dot-com that got funding,i she says. In addition to her modeling career, Chinwe works part time for a consulting firm and assists entrepreneurs, the source of her real passion. iThe way I always look at things is to focus on what I want in my life, and how badly I want it. The goal is always to see how many things you can add into that equation and not lose sight of long term goals.i

Vicky C. Hallett i02 is a History concentrator and a resident of Winthrop House. Stories like these tend to make her breathless.

Kirsten G. Studlien i02 lives in Currier House, pretty much. She concentrates in Government and keeps her dolphin-silver Nokia up and running at all hours of the day and night.