Modeling, a passion, a dream, an opportunity of a lifetime, a reality for sophomore Emilie Miller. But even though juggling school, friends, modeling and volleyball seems like a lot, for Emilie, it’s no reason to stop.

“It’s definitely stressful but the opportunity and experiences I have make it worthwhile,” Emilie said.

According to Emilie, modeling for less than a year and getting an opportunity to go to Los Angeles is amazing, but getting signed by an agency there is extremely difficult because there is so much competition. Some try their whole life for this type of experience and never get it. Now Emilie is signed to two agencies, one here in St. Louis, Missouri, West Model Management, and one in L.A. called Two Management.

“I really love modeling,” Emilie said. “I’ve met so many amazing people and had so many crazy experiences.”

Emilie and her mother, Mendi Miller, went to an open call for Two Management here in Missouri, then about two weeks later they got the news. They were asked to go to L.A. for a couple photo shoots and officially get signed to the company. Emilie was so excited, she couldn’t believe she got the call.

“I was so excited for her, I can’t wait to see what she does in the future with the company,” Mendi said.

During her time in Los Angeles, she did a lot of photo shoots for Two Management, to see what she was capable of. But her favorite part was shooting for the cover of Shutter Magazine. However, modeling was not the only thing Emilie was doing in California. During her time off the camera, she spent most of her time on the beach watching the waves and soaking up the sun, but also visiting family who lives there.

“My favorite part was the beach,” Emilie said. “I loved just sitting in the sand and hearing the waves roll in.”

Having to be available to fly to L.A. whenever Two Management needs her is a big concern for Emilie. Being on JV girls’ volleyball, hanging out with her friends, managing school work, thinking of college, having downtime for herself and working for two modeling agencies, is a lot for a 15-year-old to handle.

“I’m not really worried about falling behind in my education because they said if I get too far behind that I can get a tutor,” Emilie said. “However, I am really worried that I will miss my friends and not being able to play volleyball.”

In the future, she sees herself modeling full time. She wants to move to L.A. for more opportunities, but she is still unsure. She loves volleyball and seeing all her friends at school, also hanging out with them on weekends. Flying to and from L.A. will test her willingness to drop whatever she is doing and go without question. She could potentially miss out on big school events such as Homecoming or Prom, but according to Emilie, it’s all worth it.

“I love it,” Emilie said. “There is nothing I would rather be doing with my time.”