Modeling is one of the few industries where you have to begin quite young. Most models are beginning their career between the ages of 14 to 18 years old. If you are not home-schooled, and I'm not advocating making that drastic a change, then you are going to have to deal with the adolescent pressures of high school while balancing it with the demands of an adult oriented industry. It's no small challenge.

It was my experience that many agents pushed me to home-school even though my mother worked fulltime and was a single-parent. It wasn't an option for our household and may not be for yours either. My mother and I also decided that, since modeling is not based in reality nor provides a normal environment for a teenager, I needed the routine and grounding that high school would provide. I needed to feel a part of the school community and wanted to experience things like prom, cheering my football team on, and school dances - things I could never go back to when I got older to recapture. The things that lifelong memories are made of. So I stayed enrolled fulltime. And I strongly advise that you never consider dropping out of school to be a viable option. On the contrary, I graduated with high honors in the top 10% of my senior class in 2002. My education was as high a priority as my modeling career. Let it be for you too.

When you first start your career, you will be testing regularly to build your book. Since you are the paying client while testing, you have a little more say in when it occurs and can try to schedule shoots around your school schedule. Try to fit them in after school or on weekends. Most photographers will be willing to accommodate if you are paying them. Do remember that castings and bookings will normally occur DURING school hours and you will have no control over those. So you may have to occasionally miss a day here and there.

The greatest advice I can offer when you have to miss school is to KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT about why you are out. No one understands how the modeling industry works unless they are actively involved in it. Which your school officials aren't. When you have to miss, simply say you have an appointment out of town. Don't brag to your friends or classmates about your castings. They may think it's cool at first, but then you will become an object of rumors. The truth is that most of the other kids couldn't care less about being a model - they probably have some dream they would love to go after. The reality is that you are pursuing your passion and they aren't. They are immature and don't know how to deal with this, so they hate on you and rip you up. Even your closest friends will do this behind your back... mine did.

Try to see if your agent can give you a window or time frame to go to castings in, maybe from 11 to 3. Then leave school as late as you can before the casting closes. If you can make it till noon in school, you can usually get credit for attending the entire day. My school really didn't view my career as anything at all special. In fact, in one meeting they compared what I do to being a "checker or bagboy at the local grocery store!!". I know, it floored me too. Can you imagine telling Ralph Lauren that you're really sorry but he is going to have to schedule the shooting of his fall campaign around your spring break because the school doesn't want you missing 3 days? Right.

The reality is that schools aren't prepared to handle motivated 15 year olds who are actively pursuing their career and may have business cards and websites, and who are traveling the world on their summer breaks. They have an inability to think outside the box or to see new ways to help you achieve your goals. So you will be left to your own devices to figure out a way to do it. At one point, my school wanted to send me to the "bad" school in town where the dropouts, delinquents and pregnant girls went because they didn't know how to accommodate my schedule. Remember, I was an honor student here. We were one phone call away from changing me over to private school my senior year. I'm glad that didn't happen because I loved my high school and would've missed the friends I had left.

As you age into your later teens and begin to book out more, look at what areas you can cut back on. Maybe some clubs need to go. I cheered in Middle School, on the JV Squad, Varsity Squad and on an All-Star Team in town. I had to quit All-Stars and once I started getting bruises on my legs, had to quit varsity too. I did a Chanel show and they had to put makeup on my legs to cover up a sneaker burn. My mom told me then that I had a responsibility to my agency to be in tiptop form and that meant no injuries. So I had to give up cheerleading. It was a tough decision because I loved it so much, but I loved modeling more.

Look at special programs that your school may offer. My senior year, I had enough credits to only attend one semester. Second semester I moved to Miami to work for Ford Models at age 17. My first semester of senior year, I also did work/study and attended school half a day then did castings and bookings the other half. It worked out very well. I also used my spring breaks each year to break into new markets, visit the cities I wanted to work in, test in those markets and get an agent. Then I would return and work the entire summer there - Milan, New York, Atlanta, Miami. If I had a day off from school, I was doing something modeling-related.

Even now, I am enrolled as a junior at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. I live in NYC and am doing a marketing internship. I will return for 3 weeks later this spring to campus to do a mini-mester. In the fall, I will do 2 classes on Directed Independent Study. I was on the Dean's List several semesters and have won several awards for my grades. You can still make your education a priority regardless of where you live. Perhaps you will be fortunate to attend a smaller college like I do, one that will value your contributions and work as a partner to help you achieve your educational goals.

One thing is certain - by the end of your senior year in high school you should clearly know if your modeling is a hobby or a serious career. You can then plan accordingly and select a college in the market you would most like to work in. High school does bring out all the typical jealousies and insecurities in kids. As I said, many don't really want to model. But they have no idea what it is exactly what they are being called to do. Many have no mentors, no support system, and no motivation to actively pursue an actual career path. Teens and their parents (sadly) can be particularly mean and vicious, starting malicious rumors. Keep a low profile at all times and NEVER take your book to school.

Some keys to success in balancing modeling with high school are to learn to plan ahead and organize yourself. Take your school books to shows and shoots with you and learn to read or study during downtime. If you are underage and can't drive (like I was), do your homework or catch up on valuable sleep while your mom is driving you to your casting or booking. Learn to plan and be organized. Buy a color-coded planner and USE IT!!! You will also be forced to prioritize and this will show you quickly where your loyalties lie. If it is impossible for you to miss field trips, school dances, football games, let down your friends or miss a cheerleading practice, perhaps you need to reconsider having a modeling career. Conflicts will arise so you need to think about how you will handle them.

As a model, you will frequently have to change plans at the drop of a hat. You might be picking an outfit for the homecoming dance and the next day be on a plane to a show or magazine shoot. You will sometimes appear unreliable to your friends because you will constantly be saying "I'll try" instead of yes. You may lose many friends and perhaps a boyfriend in pursuit of your career. Hopefully, as you and your friends mature, you can regain lost friends as I have done. But these are all important points to ponder as your career is taking shape. There is a price to be paid for starting a career in high school. Are you prepared to pay that price?

The last thing I will say is to always keep your grades up. It is very tough to make it as a model and your education will always be there for you. No one wants to hire a stupid model and you are first and foremost a businessperson. So your education is vital and necessary.