West senior lands cover spot
By Carrie Kreisler, Leader Staff Writer
Bellevue Leader / February 14, 2007
In September, Kristina Lee took just a few minutes to sign up for a model search for the 2007 Prom Guide. Hundreds of other high school seniors did, also.
So when Lee, a student at Bellevue West, got a phone call from Prom Guide’s publisher, she was shocked.
She was at a friend’s house when she got the good news. She said she had gotten a voicemail message from the publisher, so she called him back. First he asked her if she knew why he was calling. “I said, “no.” Then he said, “Congratulations, you’re the cover model,” I was like “shut up!”
“I was crying and screaming,” she said.
On Nov. 9, Lee and her father flew to New York City for the photo shoot.
The first night, she got fitted for her dress. She said she was one of the first ones there so she got top pick. Turns out she didn’t like the first one she tried on, so she went with her second choice – the red dress she wore for the cover.
There are 15 regional editions of this year’s Prom Guide, and 13 finalists were chosen to be cover models. Posing with Lee on the Nebraska edition’s cover is O’Mar Arrington, from Bronx, N.Y.
Models are chosen by online votes from peers. Anyone who wants to register on the Web site – PromGuide.com – can vote, Lee said.
Each year, Prom Guide invites thousands of teenagers to sign up for the model search by sending fliers in the mail, which is how Lee found out about the opportunity.
“I think it’s a really good way to campaign for yourself,” she said. “The recognition I’m getting just by taking the initiative to sign up is amazing.”
Lee said she had done talent searches before but never really pursued them. Now, after her recent photo-shoot fame, she has become more interested in modeling.
“I’m enjoying it,” she said.
After she graduates from West, Lee plans to go to cosmetology school in Pennsylvania and become a hair stylist. And, she said, she is open to modeling if more opportunities come her way.
This year’s issue of Prom Guide is available to high school seniors. The Nebraska regional issue goes to students in Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas, Lee said.
If you're a member of the 2008 graduating class and would like to be a Prom Guide cover model, click here to register now.
| 