Aragon’s next top models: Ashley Bali and Rita Huang

Ashley Bali

“I was nervous before I got to the runway, but when you’re on there you just feel free, like you’re yourself,” says senior Ashley Bali about her experience in the Miss Fiji beauty pageant, who was crowned Miss Fiji USA Charity Queen last summer.

Bali, sponsored by Bal’s Construction, entered to two-day pageant through the Fiji Festival in Hayward, part of the Fiji American National Association, a gathering of Fijian-Indians in the area.

Bali describes the pageant as having been “a last minute deal,” and says she hadn’t originally planned to enter. But she doesn’t regret her decision.

“It was a great opportunity …to be a positive role model for younger generations to help [them] achieve their goals,” she says.

There are four rounds to the pageant: introductions, question and answer, talent and evening gown.

For the introduction portion, Bali says that contestants are expected to discuss “who you are, where you came from, who your sponsor is and why you want to be in the pageant—it’s just like a formal introduction about yourself.”

For the talent round, contestants perform the talent of their choice. Bali chose to dance to a Bollywood song, as dancing is her passion.

Bali felt that there was little competitive tension among contestants. “Even though…we were competing for the same title,” she explains, “there was no discomfort at all. We all were very supportive towards each other.”

To mentally prepare for going out on stage, Bali says the audience was most encouraging. “The enthusiasm, support and smiles they had made me more energized to get out there.”

After the pageant ends, winners keep their title for a year. During that pageant, they advise and assist new contestants.

Bali says that she is excited to continue her role as Miss Fiji until then. “I have so many events to go to.”

Bali also participates in a number of volunteer activities. “We raise money for charities helping the under privileged children, and we’re doing donations.”

Bali smiles as she reflects back on the pageant. “I had a blast. It’s a memorable experience that me and the other girls will not forget.”

For Bali, the pageant was more than just a beauty competition.
“It let’s you show how proud you are of your nationality, and you don’t forget about who you are or where you came from,” she says, adding, “I’m really proud to be a Fijian-Indian.”

Rita Huang
Senior Rita Huang spends her weekends in a similar way, in her case modeling for Sing Tao Daily, a Chinese magazine based in San Francisco.

Huang began her modeling career just this year, when she was chosen as the April 2010 cover girl.

She was given her own spread, and has continued to appear in the newspaper since. In addition, Huang serves as the sponsor for Quickly’s in Millbrae.

The modeling process for Huang is long and detailed one. For a shoot, “You [get] there early in the morning […] and they give you something to wear and do your hair, and the shooting goes on until at least 5 p.m.,” says Huang.

Huang says she enjoys the preparation element, but the shoot as a whole can be straining. “I love wearing the dress and looking all nice,” she says, “but once the shoot starts, it’s just so tiring…they keep applying make-up…and you have to keep smiling even when you don’t want to,” Huang says.

The photo shoots also tend to take an effect on Huang’s social life. “It takes away my Friday time and Saturday times, like when I want to go out with friends.”

She says that the modeling is worth the time, but she’d, “definitely rather be with [her] friends or…at parties.”

Huang also says there is definitely a sense of competition between the models she works with. “It does get competitive,” she says, “it’s just [that] no one says it…there is tension sometimes because you want to be the best, but you don’t want to be mean about it.”

Huang also attends events through Sing Tao, where she and other models introduce themselves to attendees of dinners or other functions.

“We had a dinner once,” Huang describes, “and the mayor came, Gavin Newsom. Huang enjoyed the experience, adding, “People know you and it’s…fun meeting a bunch of people and having a title.”

As for her future in modeling, Huang, who hopes to attend college on the East Coast, is unsure if she wants to continue after high school.

She thinks she may find opportunities there, but says, “for now, I’m just doing this.”

Huang’s wish is that people could understand how much work modeling actually is. “Even though it’s just a picture in a magazine that you flip through, that picture is just so much work. The effort you put into it…the smiling, the posing…sometimes it’s painful.”