Student chosen as magazine cover girl

Shelton High School senior Tiffany Robinson will be on the cover of this year’s Prom Guide Magazine.

She will be the second Shelton High student to receive the recognition in as many years. Prom Guide Magazine estimates that complimentary issues of their magazine reach about one million prom-bound teens. The issue with Robinson on the cover will be shipped later this month.

“I was very excited,” Tiffany said.

She said she became aware of the cover model contest through a school bulletin.

“My mom was looking through it and thought I should sign up,” Tiffany said.

She joined more than 5,000 competitors vying for the cover. On the magazine’s website, Tiffany had to post a picture and profile, telling other teens her likes and why she should be selected. According to the magazine, more than 100,000 teens from across the country voted on the cover.

“The voting is just the teens. There are no adults voting. No one at Prom Guide determines who the cover model is,” said Publicity Director Keshia Richmond.

Richmond said that Robinson’s cover will reach nearly 160,000 Connecticut teens. She explained that the magazine is broken down into 11 different regions.

“We feature a young lady from each region on the cover,” Richmond said. “The entire state of Connecticut is in its own region.”

Last year another Shelton High School student, Yolanda Davila, was selected as the cover girl for Connecticut. Richmond said this is the first time she could remember two consecutive cover girls coming from the same school.

Tiffany said she chosen a month before last November’s shoot. The magazine provided transportation and accommodation in New York for her and her parents.

“We got to pick out the dresses,” Tiffany said, noting that it was an all-day shoot. “It was fun.”

Prom Guide also gave Tiffany a $250 scholarship that she’s planning to use towards tuition at Pace University, where she plans on majoring in marketing.

This is not the first modeling competition she has won. Last summer she participated in a pageant and was named the most promising model. With the award, she received a scholarship to John Robert Powers modeling agency in Norwalk.

“I have classes every Saturday,” Tiffany said. She described the classes as Modeling 101, where she is learning how to pose and handle a photo shoot.

Garfield Bowen, publisher of Prom Guide, said the magazine is very supportive of its cover models.

“We have great relationships with all our cover models,” Bowen said in a prepared statement. “We encourage them to succeed in life, whether it’s in the professional world or the fashion arena. A few do become successful in the fashion and television business.”

Though she has had some early modeling success in the modeling world, Tiffany would rather keep it as an extracurricular activity.

“I want to do it on the side,” she said. “I don’t think I’ll make a career out of it.

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.