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My Runway Experience By Raven Fernandes

I was ten years old when I walked in my first fashion show; it was hosted by my childhood church home. I was added into this fashion show at the last minute and didn't know what exactly I was doing until I was backstage getting ready to go on. After participating in this fashion show at my church, I didn't want to stop modeling; I wanted to continue this hobby and wanted to get more involved in the modeling world.

Between the ages of 10-15, I was heavily involved in modeling; I was going to modeling classes, participating in photo shoots, and even being a part of shows. However, I did stop modeling at 15 because I had so many other things going on such as cheerleading and being heavily involved in other activities in High School. This was the moment I realized that modeling wasn't my top priority at the time and I had to close this curtain at that stage in my life.

Six years after I stopped modeling, something told me that my modeling career wasn't completely over.

Fast forward to Fall of 2021, I am in my junior year of college at Morgan State University and I'm at my school's club fair. I happened to walk by one of the modeling club tables, and the Executive Board members tell me about their organization, Fashion At Morgan. They told me that their organization was dedicated to helping aspiring models to reach their full potentials when it comes to modeling. From that moment, I was interested in trying out for this modeling team and potentially starting my modeling career back up.

Although I made the team, it wasn't as easy jumping back into modeling; there were so many factors that came with perfecting my walk, my posture, and my overall model presence. I wanted to be the best that I can be, I wanted to work hard on my modeling; however, there were times when I wanted to give up because I felt like I wasn't as good as I expected myself to be. Although there were many times that I thought about stopping, I would always remind myself why I came back to modeling in the first place.

Joining Fashion At Morgan has helped me realize how important my presence is on and off the runway. The leaders of this organization have taught myself and the other models what the real modeling world is like by presenting us with off-campus photo shoots, having us tryout for school events, and even having us be a part of our very own fashion show. Most importantly, it reminded me of the model that I am; it was a reminder for me that my modeling career can be something if I just put in the work and push myself to be great.

This is a picture of me walking in Fashion At Morgan's recent fashion show. CULTURE: The Experience Fashion Show (May 7th, 2022)

Since re-entering the modeling world, I have been involved in so many modeling opportunities. This summer, I recently signed to a local agency back home called J&Model Agency located in MA, I have been involved in many photo shoots, and I was given the chance to model in New York Fashion Week in September, 2022.

The Model Experience, New York Fashion Week: September 11th, 2022
Wheels & Heels photo shoot; Sept. 24th, 2022

Modeling is something that I can see myself doing for a long time. This is a hobby where I can be as creative as possible and show the audience who I am as an individual. Being in the modeling world really inspires me to realize how beautiful I am inside and out.