During the summer of 2012, junior Stefanie Elsperman was just another fan at the Lady Antebellum country concert, when she got scouted while standing in line to buy fries with her friends.
“My job has taught me to not be afraid of putting myself out there. I meet so many different people and they will all have their own opinions so letting judgments get to me is only hurting myself,” Elsperman said.
Elsperman models for two agencies: Centro in St. Louis and Ford in Chicago and Miami. Besides runways and commercial shoots, Elsperman has done editorial shoots and informal events, where she walks around and sells things. Elsperman has also done events such as St. Louis Fashion Week and an editorial for Alive magazine for their June issue.
“My first modeling experience was a small show at Neiman Marcus for Fashion’s Night Out. I was pretty intimidated because all the other girls knew each other and knew “the drill” of how things went and I had no clue. Luckily, I met another girl my age from my agency who knew what she was doing and it eased my nerves,” Elsperman said.
In addition, Elsperman has done a shoot in downtown Chicago where she went shot at places like storefronts, streets and in the middle of pedestrians.
“I had to switch looks (change outfits) in the middle of a subway with people watching- but I got used to these things,” Elsperman said.
Elsperman has also done jobs for Nordstrom, Sears, K Mart, Alyce, Discovery Girl, Neiman Marcus, Nike, a billboard for Scholarshop and magazine editorials.
“My best experience was my first shoot- I went in with zero experience but the photographer was one of the coolest people I’ve met and made me feel so comfortable by giving really helpful direction. He had a great energy to work with,” Elsperman said.
Due to her job, Elsperman has had to miss one to two weeks of school per semester.
“I had to give up most of summer and be away from friends to be in Chicago. But I have gotten better at makeup work,” Elsperman said.
Despite popular belief in the modeling industry, Elsperman has not had many dietary problems.
“I’ve really always been a healthy eater but I still have to keep it in mind more than most.
Most times when I’m working I have to eat more than normal because of the long hours and few breaks,” Elsperman said.
Elsperman has also made many friends through her job.
“You spend so many hours with girls during jobs that you’re almost forced to be friends. That’s one of the things I most love is meeting all sorts of people from all over the country/world. I’m best friends now with the girl I had one of my first shows with,” Elsperman said.
Elsperman’s advice for people who aspire to model is to stay in school.
“Make sure that you wait for the right agency that you will click with because they determine your jobs, so building a strong relationship is very important,” Elsperman said.
For the future, Elsperman plans on continuing her modeling career as well as attending school.
“I may look at colleges in NY or Chicago. I’m still trying to figure out how to fit senior year into my schedule!” Elsperman said.
![Alongside club sponsors Andrea Horn and Tim Burkard, assistant principal Kate Piffel prompts a discussion at the first Black Student Union (BSU) meeting. She accepted suggestions for BSU from members like BSU Leader and junior Tanatswa Zirengani, who moved from Zimbabwe in 2021. “Moving here and transitioning into a new school [and] lifestyle, [BSU] became [a place] where I could be myself and talk about issues that I felt comfortable talking about back home. BSU [also] gave me the opportunity to venture into the post-high-school experience, telling me [some] things to expect,” Zirengani said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/DSC_0120-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Junior TJ Polack plays his saxophone solo at halftime for the 2024 marching band show, ‘Coloring Book.’ This year, Polack was one of two soloists in the marching band. “[Polack] is very hard on himself. [His saxophone solo] sounds amazing [and] everyone [cheers] for him; [still], somehow, he thinks it’s a bad performance and he's down. What he does is not easy. It takes a lot of confidence as a person [and] a lot of musical skill to be expressive, and he's doing an amazing job,” drum major and senior Dominic Perez said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/462488499_2973926416100522_5057718068659607183_n-1200x925.jpg)
![Sophomore Isaiah Meese smiles after his Eagle Scout Ceremony. Meese has participated in the scouting program since first grade, learning new aspects of life and growing a community of a second family. “I almost didn’t do [boy scouting], but I'm glad I eventually did start doing it. I regret that I wasn't [working towards Eagle Scout during COVID]. It might not always seem like the most rewarding thing, but if you put your time into it, there's a good chance you'll get quite a lot out of it: friends, new activities and hobbies, or just more experience,” Meese said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1004-1200x800.jpg)
![Junior Justin Lutz arranges his collection of basketball sports cards. Lutz started his first hand at entrepreneurship with an online store on eBay, dealing and trading in the sports card market. “I was already collecting sports cards [before], so I knew a lot of these players and I understood the market. I ventured into other sports, but I really stayed with the ones that I knew the most, [like] basketball. It’s really important to focus on what you know because it's so much easier than starting completely from scratch in a market that you don't understand. Find something that you're interested in," Lutz said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Untitled-design-2.png)
![Standing in front of the American Sign Language program’s mural, junior Brooke Hoenecke signs with freshman Darren Young. Hoenecke began cadet teaching for ASL this year alongside working towards earning her seal of biliteracy. “I was in ASL class when I received the email [that I qualified for the seal]. I was jumping up and down with my teacher and the rest of the class. One of the reasons why I took cadet teaching this year was so that I could prepare for the Seal of Biliteracy and be immersed in ASL,” Hoenecke said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/hoenecke.jpeg)
![With a keen eye for detail, senior Natalie Lashly writes her signature onto the senior hand wall. After some encouragement from her friends, Lashly applied to make the hand wall with her Lorax-inspired design. "I thought the [bright] colors would be fun. Our quote on the wall is 'Let us grow,’ based on the 'Let it grow' song [from the movie]. [I was hoping that the design would] make the cafeteria feel more exciting," Lashly said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0099-1200x801.jpg)
![Walking onto the field, freshman Erastus Adewusi wears a pink jersey in remembrance of cancer awareness month. With the number seven on his jersey, Adewusi reflects on his life in Nigeria before moving to America. “I [used to wake up] at 5:30 a.m. and school would end at 5 p.m. [versus] now,” Adewusi said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0029-1200x800.jpg)
