According to studies conducted by U.S. News & World Report, in today’s society the average student graduates high school with little to no idea as to what they want to pursue as a career. Senior Helen Bouchard stands out from the average in knowing where she’s headed.

Bouchard was contacted by Jenny Rose, the vice president of IMG  (International Models Guild) , through Instagram in the spring of 2015. Two weeks and many emails later, Rose sent an agent to Seattle to meet with Bouchard. After much consideration and discussion with her parents, Bouchard decided to begin her modeling career with the Agency.

“All of my favorite models work for IMG, and they’ve all turned out very successful. It was a no brainer that I wanted to sign with them,” Bouchard said.

Bouchard will spend the next three years and all her school breaks working for IMG. During the week of October 18th-24th Bouchard flew to New York City with her mom for her first session of test photo shoots. Each night Bouchard received an email with her full itinerary for the next day. Within five days Bouchard had five different photoshoots in Brooklyn, Chelsea, and the Upper East Side New York.

“At first I was kind of nervous but then I realized that the photographers were so nice and kind and made it really easy for me to feel comfortable,” she said.

Bouchard plans on finishing her senior year here and plans to eventually attend a university in New York. After graduation she hopes to spend a few months working for IMG either in New York or Europe.

“My parents are really supportive about everything I do and I’m not really pressured to make any decisions about college right now, ” she said.

Bouchard is looking forward to traveling over the next couple of years, anticipating the chance to meet lots of different people and experience new things.