Courtesy of Lauren Barron

Junior Lauren Barron poses during a photo shoot for Amelia Madison boutique. The job was Barron’s first time modeling, something that had been a dream of hers since middle school. “I have always been in love with fashion and design,” Barron said. “I kind of wanted to get my feet wet in that area just so I can learn about being an entrepreneur in graphic design, and it will make me a little bit more knowledgeable before going to college.”

A day for junior Lauren Barron is much like any other student athlete: go to school, then go to practice. What separates her from the rest is that when she is not throwing around a lacrosse ball or taking notes in chemistry, she is an intern for Amelia Madison, an online boutique. 

After discovering Amelia Madison in February, Barron was asked by the owner of the boutique, a work colleague of her mother, to model the boutique’s spring collection, an opportunity that she quickly agreed to. 

“I had never modeled before in my life,” Barron said. “I used to want to do modeling, and it had kind of been my dream all through middle school. I was surrounded by a toxic environment [where] we all idolized people like Gigi Hadid and Romee Strijd and people like that who were very tiny, skinny Victoria Secret models. I thought that that stick thin figure was beautiful, and I thought that I could be a model if I achieved that figure. I tried my best to, [but] in a fairly unhealthy way.”

The opportunity to model gave Barron the space to achieve that childhood dream in a healthy environment.

“When I finally got to model, I was super excited. Ever since high school I have had a bad self image of myself; I am not a size zero, and I am not stick thin. I thought it was cool that my size could be a model. I can finally do what they do but at a healthy, happy size. I finally got to achieve that dream.”

After being asked to model for the boutique, Barron skimmed the boutiques Instagram and noticed another job opening.

“I got in contact with Megan Terry, the owner, and [when] I went on her Instagram and all of her social media, I realized that she needed a manager for social relations,” Barron said. “I jumped at the opportunity because I really like the social media and marketing world as a whole. I am not really strong in graphic design, but for this position, I thought I would learn a ton, which I have.”

Alongside modeling, social media management was another opportunity Barron had dreamed of. Currently taking Marketing, she hopes to own a business in the future. 

“Whenever I messaged her about it, I was brutally honest. I was like, ‘look, I am a junior in high school. I would say I am fairly experienced in social media because I am a normal adolescent who does that stuff in my free time, and I don’t know if I am who you are looking for, but I would love to try it out and test the waters,’” Barron said. “I told her I could be an intern, but now it has kind of turned into a job for me.”

Social media has played a part in Barron’s life since middle school, and it has now transformed into a helpful tool for her job.

“My love for social media began in around seventh or eighth grade. I would always be on social media: Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, VSCO. It is such a smart way to advertise things at an affordable price. Social media is a tool I utilize in my everyday life,” Barron said. “I am on it probably five to six hours a day, which you may find really disgusting, but I am looking at people to collaborate with Amelia Madison; I am looking at people to find inspiration and ideas from whether that be recipes for dinner or something for my everyday life.”

With many responsibilities, Barron has her days planned out. She acknowledges that without a strict schedule, she wouldn’t get everything done.

“I am a very regimented person, and every single day is almost identical. I love having a very strict, tight schedule. I am a huge procrastinator, so if I don’t have a schedule written out, I know I am not going to do the tasks that I am supposed to do,” Barron said.  “Any free time I have, I try to utilize it as much as I possibly can. It makes me productive; instead of sitting on my butt scrolling through Instagram for hours, I can be creating monthly subscription boxes, finding people to represent Amelia Madison, post on our Instagram, update our website, stuff like that.”

Barron does not take all of the credit for her focus and accomplishments; she credits her mother as an important factor in her striving for success. 

“[My mom] has the hardest work ethic I have ever seen and constantly strives for greatness,” Barron said. “I dream of being as successful as her one day.”

Barron does not want her other responsibilities to keep her from her new job but recognizes that she is still a teenager. 

“I’ve been very good at prioritizing the tasks that I have, and I don’t think that I will miss out on much,” Barron said. “I want to still be a teenager and live my life as cliché as that sounds, [but] I have always been a motivated person, and I am not going to let it affect me. I think it is super cool that Megan, [the owner], is letting me, at such a young age, try a higher level position.”

Holding a high level position like this at her age allows Barron the opportunity for exposure as well as connections in the job market.

“My boss has a lot of connections; she has come from the ground up, and this business is slowly getting very successful,” Barron said. “Eventually, I want to work for a big corporation like Vogue or People magazine. I don’t know if it is going to be journalism or graphic design, but I think that it is great to get the exposure. It is truly inspiring to me that I can achieve so much at such a young age. It will help me get a feel for what a true, real life job is in a sense.”