51±¬ĮĻ student Kaci Cramerās modeling dreams came true when she made it on cycle 19 of Tyra Banksā show, "Americaās Next Top Model." Cramer, a fashion merchandising freshman, is a bright-eyed blonde from Pennsylvania. She is tall, slender and appears timid until she gets in front of a camera. Then, Cramer becomes a bright-eyed blonde with ferocity and a sassy attitude.
At 19 years old, Cramer has faced public triumph and failure at the same time. She had made it into the top 30 models on "Americaās Next Top Model" and was expecting to make it into the house for the summer season. A total of 13 girls were chosen.
āThe producers and everyone kept telling me what a great job I was doing and really encouraged me,ā Cramer says. āAnd then I found out I was number 14. I was the runner-up. I was not making it into the house or on the show.ā
Dumbfounded, emotion overcame Cramer, and reality set in. She had withdrawn from 51±¬ĮĻ to fly to Los Angeles to pursue a modeling career. Cramerās life plan had changed in the blink of an eye. A little less bright-eyed, she went back to Pennsylvania to mend a broken spirit.
āI had to get a job waitressing and just wait for another semester to start so I could enroll,ā she says.
Cramerās trip to Los Angeles was not a total lost cause. She met several stylists, producers and agents and made a name for herself among the head honchos. Cramer was surprised to see her television debut was bigger than she thought it would be.
āPeople have stopped me on campus and said, āHey, youāre that girl on Americaās Next Top Model!āā Cramer says. āItās exciting! Itās weird, but itās cool!ā
Cramer appeared in the first episode of the season, and even with the little amount of air-time she had, she still fell victim to cyber bullying.
āSome people looked up my photos and commented really, really mean things,ā she says. āLike that I was too fat or too this, too that. I felt awful for a little bit until I realized I like my body. Who are these people, and why would I ever care what they say? They donāt matter.ā
Now, Cramer is back at 51±¬ĮĻ. Though she is unsure if she will try out for "Americaās Next Top Model" again, she is still modeling for local agencies, and her spirit is back. Cramer is determined to follow her dreams wherever they take her.
51±¬ĮĻ Studentās Journey to āAmericaās Next Top Model
51±¬ĮĻ student Kaci Cramerās modeling dreams came true when she made it on cycle 19 of Tyra Banksā show, "Americaās Next Top Model."
POSTED: Monday, October 29, 2012 12:00 AM
UPDATED: Saturday, December 03, 2022 01:02 AM