Growing up stylish never mattered to Alaria Chandleur, a model and current Palm Beach State College junior transferring to FAU in the fall of 2025. From living in Trinidad and Tobago to moving to Delray Beach, Fla., the clothes she wore and posing for the camera were at the back of her mind. But after discovering her passion for modeling, it was a dream inseparable from her own identity. 

However, Chandleur’s entrance into the modeling world was not easy, as she juggled school and two jobs.

“It gets hard doing all that I do because I work two jobs, go to school and still have to pay for things like modeling shoes and clothes aside from all of my bills,” Chandleur said. “But every day, I am just grateful to be able to do it all. Because of my background, it’s easy to get myself into the mindset of being grateful for what I have.”

Chandleur also expressed the importance of networking and meeting new people as a model, sharing that it is one of the most rewarding parts of being a part of the fashion industry. 

“The most rewarding part of it all is meeting new people and networking. Modeling is a way to express yourself and also be able to support someone else’s dream,” she said.

Through her early modeling, Chandleur met Josie Lentner, a model and co-founder of modeling agency “La Vie.” Lentner shares that meeting Chandleur was inspiring.

“I remember she was just a new model entering the scene when I saw her for the first time. I thought to myself how amazing it was considering she was doing this big show for Miami Swim Week,” Lentner said. “It was just great seeing someone who wants [to] model and finally got the opportunity to, and worked their butt off to make sure that they were the best that they could be.”

An aspect of modeling that is integral to being successful, according to both Chandleur and Lentner, is determination. 

“Some of the most important qualities you can have as a model are personality, determination, confidence, and healthy diets. Being yourself will always be number one!” Chandleur said. 

“The only difference between you and anyone else who has made it in the modeling industry is consistency.  It’s not even about trying; just keep doing it! You never want to say you’re trying; you should always say you’re doing!” Lentner said.

Lentner started modeling in 2020, becoming an influencer and then working up to bigger shoots. She eventually landed her first single-week runway in 2022. Lentner has since been named the 4th finalist in the Miss Panamerican International Pageant, representing her home country, Haiti. 

Lack of representation is a significant problem within the modeling industry. According to Worldmetrics.org, 61.5% of all models who walked the runway during London Fashion Week 2021 were white.

Chandleur mentions the role of representation in the modeling industry, revealing that a lack of it may just come down to companies’ audiences. 

“The modeling industry has come a long way with how inclusive it is,” Chandleur said. “At the end of the day, companies look for very specific looks when it comes to models, and there’s only a percentage of ‘different’ people represented.” 

Lentner shares a similar perspective, stating that sometimes, lack of inclusivity in major fashion shows or campaigns can be because of a brand’s intended audience. 

“Brands typically book who they identify themselves with. I would love to see more diversity, but it’s going to come down to the image of the brand and the demographic they want to appeal to, Letner said. “At the end of the day, if the majority of a brand’s buying population is catered towards a certain demographic, then it’s going to want to sell to that.” 

For Lentner and Chandleur, representing their culture is important to their modeling journeys.

“I’m hoping to incorporate my culture more because it’s a big part of me, and modeling has become such a big part of me as well,” Chandleur said. “I would never want to lose the authenticity of my culture in my work.”

Growing Up

Based on Chandleur’s childhood, she never expected to go into fashion. Modeling in Miami and her place in the fashion industry was a complete turnaround from her upbringing in Diego Martin, a borough of the Trinidad island in Trinidad and Tobago.

Chandleur shares the lack of importance placed on fashion and pop culture growing up, expressing how it was something she just couldn’t place too much emphasis on.

“Even though we enjoyed watching the glamour of fashion on TV, we didn’t care about what we wore. To this day in Trinidad, you can go out, and nobody’s going to judge you based on what you’re wearing,” she said. 

Things like clothes and shoes simply did not matter to Chandleur in her youth as there were more important things at hand, such as family.

“All of our family members were pretty close, but there were a lot of hard times as well because my mom had to provide for us mostly on her own,” she said. 

Nonetheless, Chandleur spent her childhood surrounded by a family who supported her dreams.

“…One thing about my family is that they are such a good time to be around that you would have never thought about the hardships we had to face; life was sweet,” she said, smiling.

Chandleur is pursuing a degree in sports medicine at Palm Beach State College, a decision influenced by her love for sports and movement. 

“As a kid, I did a lot of swimming, but at the end of the day, my family didn’t have enough money to send me to a sport that I could commit to, but I was always good at something,” she said.

Chandleur plans on using her degree to work with the NFL.

“I hope to use my degree to get a job with the NFL or any other major sports organizations. I dream of being an athletic trainer and having a gym of my own,” she said.

As she grew out of her childhood, Chandleur discovered a creative outlet through modeling. She realized that although she couldn’t participate in team sports, modeling was something she could do on her own, even if not professionally.

“Modeling is a form of art that focuses just on you as a person,” Chandleur said. “I felt that it was something I didn’t have to do as a team, something I could just do on my own.”

Discovering her talent

When Chandleur was 9 years old, she immigrated to the United States with her parents, leaving behind the rest of her family to find better opportunities abroad. The move proved very difficult for Chandleur, who was used to a different cultural atmosphere throughout her early years. 

“I had a hard time moving to the U.S. because it was a huge culture shock, especially being my age,” she said. 

Chandleur says coming to the U.S. made her realize that she needed to fit in with the locals. She  chose to change how she would do her hair, speak to sound, and look more like her peers.

“I always used to straighten my hair because all the girls had straight hair. I would try to talk differently, too; I would sound so different because I was always trying so hard to sound American,” she said.

Starting high school, Chandleur began to learn how to express herself, learning to step outside of her comfort zone.

“I was figuring out what I liked and didn’t like to wear. It’s been a long journey of learning how to dress and tuning into myself,” she said. “Once I started to figure it out, people would tell me to go into modeling.”

Chandleur’s time in high school was when she realized that her passion for modeling was serious.

“I would always take pictures whenever I would dress nice at school,” she said. “So then I started to get more in touch with myself, and I started to get a little more confident. I just really enjoyed taking pictures.”

During Chandleur’s modeling career, she met Valeriia Pareichuk, a professional photographer and student at FAU at the time. They met while working at the Delray Beach Market together. Pareichuk would always encourage Chandleur to pursue modeling. 

“We worked the concierge desk at the front, and then we just started being friends and she told me about her dream of becoming a model. I would tell her, ‘Oh, my god, that’s amazing! You know, I have a dream of being a photographer.’ So I remember we would have conversations about how we would reach our dreams,” Pareichuk said.

Chandleur said that Pareichuk was the one who originally got her to model and that she would often collaborate with Pareichuk for her FAU projects. Pareichuk won multiple awards for the photography work she did with Alaria.

Pareichuk now owns her own photography business and has since then been featured by the Sun Sentinel for her FAU Senior Seminar exhibition, a self-portrait reflecting her feelings on the war in Ukraine, her home country. 

“She always asked to take pictures of me for her school projects. She would inspire me the most to keep going with modeling because she was the only person who would always ask me to be her muse,” Chandleur said. “I’ve had people ask me to take pictures, but Val was the one who helped me get more confident behind the camera.”

Pareichuk recounts her experience working with Alaria over the years. She said through Alaria’s attitude, she was able to feel more confident in her photography abilities. 

“She was always down for my ideas; she was also confident in front of the camera, which made [photo] shoots with her fun. She has a very positive attitude, just like a ray of sunshine,” Pareichuk said. 

Gabriela Quintero is a staff writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this story or others, contact her at [email protected].