Due to effects of her life-threatening medical condition, 14-year-old Joyce was not feeling good about herself.
“My illness made me feel tired and washed out, and I looked tired and washed out too. I had lost my hair and lost weight, and lost my self-confidence,” she explained. Around the same time, her caregivers at the hospital referred her to the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of New Jersey, who stepped in with an offer to grant her greatest wish. Joyce remembered a modeling school that her cousin had talked about and was confident the key to regaining her self-esteem rested inside the walls of Barbizon School.
Barbizon bills itself as a leader in the modeling school industry and offers courses that help students develop their self-confidence, poise, attractiveness and grace. Wish granters enrolled Joyce in a 15-week course that met at night and on Saturdays so it wouldn’t affect her regular studies in her Jersey City high school. In addition to being a milestone event for Joyce, the wish also marked the 3,000th wish for the New Jersey chapter.
The teen modeling student was excited to surround herself with creative people working toward a future in modeling, acting and entertainment. She reports that the classes let her be herself again, and the instructors and executive director showed her a lot of attention.
“The activity of attending classes at Barbizon made me feel more alive, and everyone was so understanding of my health and my feelings and were so nice and kind. Talking with the people who run the school and with the other students gave me a real boost, ” she explained.
As with any other school, all the hard work leads to graduation. But instead of a traditional commencement event with ceremonial handshakes and school bands, Joyce participated in a modeling show at a local hotel. The students modeled several different outfits including casual wear, sports wear and formal wear. A TV crew documented the event and interviewed Joyce, who used her camera time to speak about her desire to help other ill children in the future. When an attendee asked Joyce how she stayed so focused and composed in front of the crew, she explained that she used the interview techniques she learned in class.
In addition to her modeling experience, Joyce has served as an ambassador for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. She even shared a national stage with Make-A-Wish Foundation of America President and CEO Paula Van Ness as Van Ness rang the opening bell at the Nasdaq stock exchange in New York City.
Looking to the future, Joyce would like to become an actress and write an autobiography entitled “My Recovery.” She hopes her experience inspires other ill children.
Photo credit: Citywide Corporate Photography
This page can be found at http://www.wish.org/stories/fantasy/fashion/joyce_modeling_school
©2006 Make-A-Wish Foundation®
