LITTLE VILLAGE — Jacqueline Quintana, or contestant No. 15, made a short trip to join the 30 or so girls standing outside Alborada Brides hoping to grace the next cover of the shop's quarterly magazine.
Jacqueline, 15, only had to cross the Stevenson Expy. to get from Archer Heights to the shop at 3544 W. 26th St. in Little Village, but girls flocked from the suburbs two hours away for the casting call.
The short drive did nothing to ease Jacqueline's anxiety prior to the contest: "I'm just very excited," said the jittery teen with her long dark curls complementing her black dress. "[The contest] represents me achieving my dream [of] not just being on a magazine, but being a role model for girls my age."
Jacqueline Quintana, 15, of Archer Heights, practiced her walk for weeks before the contest. [DNAinfo/Josh McGhee]
This is the second time Alborada Brides has held a casting call for its quinceanera magazine. Last year 36 teens attended, but this year just shy of 30 answered interview questions, showed off their catwalk strut and posed in the dress shop for Evelyn Flores, the owner of the shop, as she sat between two other judges.
Jacqueline, who has modeled for the magazine before, said she'd been practicing her walk in the weeks prior to the contest, something the judges pointed out during her audition.
She also worked on exuding more confidence: "Just being confident in what I do and being confident in myself because I'm a role model for other girls," she said, adding how cool it would be to win the contest. "It's amazing. It's really a good opportunity for girls trying to model to see if you're interested in the modeling industry."
To land the cover, teens had to impress the judges, but the girl whose photos get the most likes on social media will also appear in the magazine.
The aspiring models listening to the shop's DJ blast Carly Rae Jepsen were so nervous they couldn't even sit in the limo Flores ordered for the girls so they didn't have to stand outside in their heels for hours.
"I wasn't really nervous, then I saw how many girls were going and the judges, then I got nervous. But it was still pretty cool," said Julianna Monarrez, the 13-year-old who arrived early enough to be the first contestant. "I was kind of nervous, but I was relieved when I got it over with."
"To be honest, I think I did bad. I've been in some things like this before, but they were simpler. I usually don't have to talk in front of people," she said admitting she was unprepared for the Q&A portion.
Julianna Monnarrez, 13, of Cicero, was the first to audition at the casting call. [DNAinfo/Josh McGhee]
Sinahy Reyes, 15, was invited to the audition while shopping for her quinceanera dress. She hoped her style and attitude would help her stand out, she said.
"You've got to show your own personality. Everyone has their own style and personality," Reyes said confidently.
"I'm a little more excited than nervous. It's kind of exciting because it's what most of us want to do as a career, so it's exciting," Reyes said.
Sinahy Reyes posing for her portrait Thursday night. [DNAinfo/Josh McGhee]
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