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Since the taping of the show, Eugena has been
slowly proving that she has the potential to stand
amongst the ranks of other well known black beauties
such as Tyra Banks. Booking spreads for Seventeen
Magazine, a Times Square billboard feature for
Southpole Junior's Collection campaign and an
appearance in British R&B artist Craig David’s music
video, "This Is the Girl," are just a few of the gigs that
Eugena landed. This year alone, Eugena walked the
Fashion Week runways in both Los Angeles and
New York. In February, I had the pleasure of spotting
her on runways at Smashbox Studies Los Angeles for
such designers as Falguni Shane & Peacock,
Veronika Jeanvie, Jenny Han and more! At the recent
New York Fashion Week, she strutted her stuff for
Project Runway finalist Jerell Scott's collection, during
Bravo’s “Project Runway” finale, held in the tents at
Bryant Park. Simply noting that this woman is busy is
an understatement, but how does she keep it all
together? Eugena, who recently moved to New York
after signing with Fusion Model Management, took a
quick break from her hectic schedule to meet with me
in SoHo, at the very cute Aroma Café, to vent and
confess what’s on her mind.
QIANNA: What is your driving force or motivation to
model?
EUGENA: This is a tricky question for me because I
am not one of those girls who can say modeling is my
passion. Modeling is fun and I enjoy doing it while I
am here, while I am young.
QIANNA: What are you watching on TV right now?
EUGENA: I am watching “Making the Band 4” on MTV,
but my all time favorite show is the “Game” on the CW.
QIANNA: To what music do you like to listen to when
you are modeling on set?
EUGENA: They never play music for us, and that’s
what most of the girls complain about. If someone is
playing music, it is because one of the make-up
artists or hairstylists brought something to play and it
ends up being like Diana Ross or something techno.
QIANNA: I am an only child, so I assume growing up
with 8 siblings must have been hectic, joyful and
crazy. What was it like for you growing up?
EUGENA: Well, I was the second oldest girl living in
the house. It was my older brother, my older sister
and then me, so basically we had to watch out for
each other, if you know what I mean. My mom would
go to work and my dad was in and out some times. It
was my older sister and I who were always cooking
and cleaning. We watched out for each other and
shared everything. I basically did not have my own
room until I went off to college. There are 5 girls and 3
boys and let me just tell you the boys had it easy. We
used to fight all the time growing up, but now that we
are older it’s better. I hated having such a big family
growing up, but now that I am older, I am thankful for
them. I am so much more responsible now because
we had to do everything for each other.
QIANNA: What was your family’s reaction to the
news you made it on ANTM?
EUGENA: They were more like, what are you doing?
They were making fun of me, basically. Of course they
had comments when the show aired, but I know
everyone was proud of me. My little brother would call
me and tell me that all the girls at his school wanted
my autograph, and he would tease me that now I
could afford to give him lunch money.
slowly proving that she has the potential to stand
amongst the ranks of other well known black beauties
such as Tyra Banks. Booking spreads for Seventeen
Magazine, a Times Square billboard feature for
Southpole Junior's Collection campaign and an
appearance in British R&B artist Craig David’s music
video, "This Is the Girl," are just a few of the gigs that
Eugena landed. This year alone, Eugena walked the
Fashion Week runways in both Los Angeles and
New York. In February, I had the pleasure of spotting
her on runways at Smashbox Studies Los Angeles for
such designers as Falguni Shane & Peacock,
Veronika Jeanvie, Jenny Han and more! At the recent
New York Fashion Week, she strutted her stuff for
Project Runway finalist Jerell Scott's collection, during
Bravo’s “Project Runway” finale, held in the tents at
Bryant Park. Simply noting that this woman is busy is
an understatement, but how does she keep it all
together? Eugena, who recently moved to New York
after signing with Fusion Model Management, took a
quick break from her hectic schedule to meet with me
in SoHo, at the very cute Aroma Café, to vent and
confess what’s on her mind.
QIANNA: What is your driving force or motivation to
model?
EUGENA: This is a tricky question for me because I
am not one of those girls who can say modeling is my
passion. Modeling is fun and I enjoy doing it while I
am here, while I am young.
QIANNA: What are you watching on TV right now?
EUGENA: I am watching “Making the Band 4” on MTV,
but my all time favorite show is the “Game” on the CW.
QIANNA: To what music do you like to listen to when
you are modeling on set?
EUGENA: They never play music for us, and that’s
what most of the girls complain about. If someone is
playing music, it is because one of the make-up
artists or hairstylists brought something to play and it
ends up being like Diana Ross or something techno.
QIANNA: I am an only child, so I assume growing up
with 8 siblings must have been hectic, joyful and
crazy. What was it like for you growing up?
EUGENA: Well, I was the second oldest girl living in
the house. It was my older brother, my older sister
and then me, so basically we had to watch out for
each other, if you know what I mean. My mom would
go to work and my dad was in and out some times. It
was my older sister and I who were always cooking
and cleaning. We watched out for each other and
shared everything. I basically did not have my own
room until I went off to college. There are 5 girls and 3
boys and let me just tell you the boys had it easy. We
used to fight all the time growing up, but now that we
are older it’s better. I hated having such a big family
growing up, but now that I am older, I am thankful for
them. I am so much more responsible now because
we had to do everything for each other.
QIANNA: What was your family’s reaction to the
news you made it on ANTM?
EUGENA: They were more like, what are you doing?
They were making fun of me, basically. Of course they
had comments when the show aired, but I know
everyone was proud of me. My little brother would call
me and tell me that all the girls at his school wanted
my autograph, and he would tease me that now I
could afford to give him lunch money.
Continued on page 47...
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