With the sudden rise of social media modeling, more girls and guys alike have the opportunity to give the business a go. Rather than having to travel to meet with agents and go to castings, models are found quickly on Instagram and Twitter. These sites are filled with agencies that scour young hopefuls’ pictures. One example of this kind of new kind of scouting is senior Sarah Tankersley who has recently began modeling like many others her age.

“I started with local photographers in Katy looking to build their portfolios, and I was recommended to talk to an agency by one of my old friends who is now a model in New York,” said Tankersley.

What started as helping out a friend has turned into a possible future career for Tankersley. After getting a push from a friend, she quickly found an agency to work with.

“I model mostly in downtown Houston with gigs I get assigned from my agency, Neal Hamil Modeling,” said Tankersley. “I am going to Los Angeles in January to meet with different agencies across the world.”

After getting her start in Houston, Tankersley has bigger dreams for her modeling career. Through online research and updating her social media with her shoots, Tankersley now has enough in her portfolio to start meeting with more international agencies and hopefully progress further into the modeling world.

“Although I have not done a lot of shoots recently because I am training for LA, my favorite shoot has been with The Pop Up Co Op in Houston,” said Tankersley. “I was styled by one of the biggest names of Runway Houston and was completely starstruck by the clothes I got to wear like Valentino and Coach.”

Print modeling has opened many doors for Tankersley as she can now progress into the runway realm of modeling. Her opportunities are unique and exclusive and come with excitement as she gets the chance to wear exclusive designers. The job, however, is not as glamorous as it looks.

“The most challenging part is the competitive nature of the industry because I am still learning how to improve myself and it’s easy to get overshadowed by other models,” said Tankersley. “You just have to learn to embrace what makes you stand out.”