College: University of Missouri

Career: Modeling

The room is instantly illuminated by a bright flash, followed by the sound of a camera shutter. In front of the camera is Max Gaal, senior, taking his place in the spotlight. For years, Gaal has devoted time to his modeling career. While there are many different ways models can get scouted, Gaal was recruited and signed with an agency.

“I had kind of been reached out to,” Gaal said. “I applied to an agency and then got accepted so that’s how they started managing me.”

Gaal has been modeling for almost three years and said he would like to continue doing so. In the past, he’s had opportunities to travel out of state to further his modeling career.

“I had an opportunity to go do something in New York,” Gaal said. “If I got an opportunity like that, that would be awesome, I would love to do it.”

Modeling has led Gaal to create memories outside of everyday life. He said most shoots have a process that can be very meticulous, making sure the shot looks perfect.

“A lot of modeling I’ve done is for hat companies, so a few of the times I have been to minor league [baseball] fields and the set ups they have are really cool,” Gaal said. “They have you go through outfits changes and come back out and do [certain types] of shots and you work on [one] shot for 15 minutes.” 

Gaal said one thing modeling has taught him is patience. Jobs are not always guaranteed so a lot of the time he has to be flexible.

“I’ve had periods where I don’t get jobs for a while,” Gaal said. “You just really have to be patient and trust the process.”

Before completely ruling out modeling as a career, Gaal said it is easier to get started than you think. Regardless of the outcome, any response could be helpful.

“There’s a lot of ways you can apply to these types of things and no matter what, they will give you feedback that can help going forward,” Gaal said. “Definitely apply and reach out to as many agencies as you can if you really want to get into it.”