Arklow teen in line for model contract
Thursday December 06 2007
A sixteen-year-old Arklow girl has reached the semi-finals of a prestigious national model search competition and has her hopes set on a career in the fashion industry.
Jessica Saunders, from Clogga, was absolutely thrilled' this week to hear that she had topped thousands of other young hopefuls to reach the final 30 of the Ireland Ford Model search competition.
Jessica competed in the Dublin heat of the popular competition, lining up amongst huge crowds of competitors at Dundrum Town Centre on Saturday (November 17).
Thousands of other girls aged from 14 to 21 attended the heats in Cork and Athlone.
Jessica's audition' included a saunter up the catwalk set up at the shopping centre and a quick pow-wow with the judges.
She obviously impressed them because a few days later she received the call from organisers informing her that she'd made the final 30.
She will attend the semi-final competition in Dublin this week, where she will compete for a spot in the final 15.
The winner of the competition receives a modelling contract with 1st Option Models in Dublin and will fly to New York to compete in the world final of the Ford Models Supermodel of the World competition in January.
Jessica a Third Year student at St Mary's College, Arklow, has modelled in the past and is filming this week as an extra in the new George Gently BBC TV series, being shot in Wicklow.
Rob Stilling
