Junior Remi Zeidan from the men's soccer team was the winner of VX's men's competition for Top Model.

Hopkins's Top Model benefits Dream to Reality foundation

By: Sarah Hersh

Posted: 12/4/08

Twenty-two students walked down the runway on Tuesday evening as part of Vision XChange's fourth annual Hopkins's Top Model event, benefitting the Dream to Reality Foundation.

The event featured 11 men and 11 women from different student organizations who competed in three rounds to become the "next top model." The winners were sophomore Kara Mirski, representing the J-Walk dance team, and junior Rami Zeidan, representing men's soccer.

The Dream to Reality Foundation, which the event benefitted, is a nonprofit organization determined to improve the education and health systems for children in Haiti and the Dominican Republic by building boarding schools for them.

The money raised goes towards building and furnishing the schools, as well as paying teachers to take care of the children.

VX decided to donate their profits to the Dream to Reality Foundation because of the personal connection the group has with the cause. Sophomore and VX member Lize-Anne Bonhomme's parents were the founders of the organization.

"We know exactly where the funds are going. We're getting [the children] off the plantation and into sanitary homes," Paige Knowles, senior and co-chair of VX, said.

Children currently live on sugar-cane plantations in cardboard boxes, even during hurricane seasons. In some cases, children begin working as prostitutes or field laborers before they even reach adolescence.

The Top Model event featured not only the models from different student organizations, but also presentations between rounds by Raymond Joseph, ambassador of Haiti to the United States, and Gerald and Micheline Bonhomme, the founders of Dream to Reality. Additionally, there was a performance by VIVAZ, Hopkins's African and Caribbean Performing Arts Company.

The event collected money through a $5 flat rate for admission, in addition to encouraging the audience to donate in order to support their favorite model. After each round, shoeboxes were passed around to audience members so they could put money into the box with their favorite model's name on it. Models with the most money in their boxes moved onto the next round.

VX is a part of the Center for Social Concern. According to Knowles, "the purpose of Vision Xchange is to spread awareness through events to inspire students to make global changes."

Bill Tiefenwerth, director of the Center for Social Concern, Salmah Rizvi, founder of Vision Xchange and Carrie Bennett, security liaison, judged the event.

According to several attendees, the event was a success.

"The event exceeded my expectations because I thought it was going to be really disorganized because I haven't been to that many student events. I was just surprised because I didn't really think it would be so professional looking, and it was cool to hear the ambassador from Haiti," freshman Hannah Holliday said.

Additionally, the models reported having an enjoyable time. "There was a lot of group bonding back stage," Mirski said. "We were all excited to be there to represent our groups."

"It was really cool and the guy in the Santa suit [John "J.J." Giampa representing Pi Kappa Alpha] was pretty awesome. I definitely made new friends and I learned that the upperclassmen aren't as scary as I thought they were," freshman participant John Pierre Cardenas, who represented the Filipino Student Association, said.

Cardenas said he got involved because "my personality fit the whole modeling thing and [FSA knew] I wouldn't feel uncomfortable."

Cardenas said he thought that the voting process should have been better publicized alongside the event.

"Most of the participants didn't know that the voting would require money, so lots of people [who were modeling] didn't invite their friends or the people they invited didn't know to bring extra money to donate. Because of that they didn't get a lot of votes," Cardenas said.