From high tops to high heels, senior Jamila Veasley is taking a
new direction in life.
Veasley’s days on the basketball court are well behind
her. But now this Cerritos native is shooting for a career in
modeling.
“I love doing it,” Veasley said. “People know
what they want to do. When I’m on the runway, that’s
what I feel like doing. I love it.”
Tuesday night at the Klimax Fashion Show, hosted by UC Fashion
and Student Trends LA, Veasley was center stage as she strutted her
way down the runway.
With the women’s basketball team out in force, it is
becoming ever so clear to each member that Veasley has the stuff to
make it to the next stage.
“I can definitely see her doing that,” teammate
Noelle Quinn said. “She’s a beautiful person outside
and inside. She’s got the mentality, confidence and
physique.”
“She’s definitely a player that has many
talents,” UCLA coach Kathy Olivier said. “She has a
very bright future. She’s very articulate. She has so many
different ways she can go. And, if it doesn’t work, she has a
lot of options.”
But this athlete-turned-model does not have just a pretty face:
She wears a mug of determination.
In a field that sees models come and go, Veasley maintains an
optimistic outlook on her chances of making it big.
“You can only hope for the best,” Veasley said.
“I always told myself by the age of 25 I want to be on the
cover of some magazine, like Cosmopolitan or (the) Victoria’s
Secret (catalog).”
On Tuesday, Veasley fashioned off collections from well-known
designers such as Custo Barcelona and Nordstrom, as well as from
student labels like “Addict” by Lauren Harris and
“Sangre” by Arthur Azature Pogosian.
Veasley had some modeling experience in high school, but the
event at Ackerman Grand Ballroom was her first modeling experience
since then.
Even in the early stages of her career, designers such as
Pogosian are raving about this 6-foot-1 model.
“Jamila is actually one of my most favorite models,”
Pogosian said. “As a model, she has the look, obviously.
She’s tall enough, obviously. She’s glamorous enough,
obviously. But it’s her professionalism that will put her
over the top.
“She has this look that is very European. I call her Tyra
(Banks). She has this curvy shape body type. Those model figures
are usually the ones that make it to supermodel status. So I think
she has a great career coming ahead of her. That’s for
sure.”
With modeling comes stringent emphasis on body image. In a
society where the majority of models are a size 0, Veasley, a size
8, has no intentions of molding herself after the standard
supermodel.
In fact, she finds the restrictions and the dieting hoopla
absurd.
“You know what? You’re going to have to take me as I
am,” Veasley said. “I’m thin as it is, and I like
it. I’m comfortable with my body, and I’m not going to
change that for anything.
“If people want you, they’re going to take you for
who you are. People need to realize that you don’t need to
starve yourself to be a model.”
This past year, Veasley received her first taste of rejection
after trying out for America’s Next Top Model.
The show selected only 12 women who competed for a modeling
contract with a top modeling agency.
Veasley did not get a call back, but the experience has not
deterred her one bit.
“You’re going against how many people?”
Veasley asked. “But, it’s my dream, and it’s the
easiest way to get into it. Any loophole you see, you have to try
it.”
As a black woman, Veasley looks up to Banks as an
inspiration.
“(Banks) carries herself with so much class,”
Veasley said. “She capitalizes off her modeling because she
branches out and she produces shows.
“I think that is important because it’s not just
beauty; it’s brains. You can’t model
forever.”