Name: Elena Karavassilis
Home: Oakland Gardens
Height 5’ 4″
Weight: 113
Stats: 34-26-36
Even years away from the modeling world couldn’t stop Elena’s love of conquering the catwalk. She first got into modeling at age five, when she joined the John Robert Powers agency. This didn’t last long, and Elena didn’t pick up modeling again until she was sixteen.
“A friend told me to audition for Shortstack. I got it, and I’ve been with them for about a year now. It felt good to start up [modeling] again,” she said.
A large part of Shortstack that appealed to Elena was their goal to work with shorter girls and change the conventional ways of modeling.
“When I was younger, I really liked the idea of modeling. But, I was never tall enough. My friend suggested Shortstack because of their work with shorter girls. It was very accepting.”
Starting up one of her passions again has Elena looking to the future very confidently.
“I’d love to try and pursue modeling as a career. It’s just so much fun to do every day,” she says eagerly.
The upcoming Benjamin N. Cardozo High School senior, aside from exploring colleges, adds swimming, basketball, and reading to her list of interests when she isn’t modeling. Hanging out with friends in Astoria and Bay Terrace shows love for her home borough.
“I like that Queens isn’t too busy. Everything is close to me, and my family and friends are here; what more could I want?”
And what advice does Elena have for models on the rise? “Just go out and try everything! I thought I couldn’t model because I was short, but I found what was right for me. Don’t let anything hold you back.”