She’s taking big strides to achieve her journalism dreams.

Toni-Ann Martin, a fourth-year UF journalism major from South Florida, is used to being in the spotlight. As part of FACES Modeling Troupe, she has posed and strutted in front of hundreds of people.

She said being on stage channels a different side to her personality.

“It’s like a whole different me,” Martin said.

Just being in the organization doesn’t automatically mean a model gets to walk on stage, she said.

“If you’re not showing improvement and if you’re not showing that you really want it, then there’s a chance that you might not be on stage,” Martin said.

As someone who has been modeling for four years, she encourages those who want to get into the profession to practice often.

“I didn’t learn how to model in a day,” she said. “It definitely took me a very long time.”

- April Dudash