latino role models
Susie Castillo
Miss USA

LatinoGraduate.net: What is your life like as Miss USA?

Susie: Part of my role as Miss USA is to be a spokesperson for breast and ovarian cancer education, research, and legislation, so I work constantly with about 8 or 9 different organizations. The month of September is known as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and October is breast cancer month. Many related organizations have conferences and fundraisers to raise money for research, and I attend and/or speak at practically all of them. For example, I attended the City of Hope's "Walk for Hope" and the American Cancer Society's "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" events, and I also hosted a fashion show where all the models were breast cancer survivors. That is just a small sample of my schedule for the Fall months.

LatinoGraduate.net:.How did you come to select this important cause?

Susie: Five years ago the Miss Universe Organization chose official causes for all its titleholders - Miss USA, Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA. So actually I am the fifth Miss USA to carry on this role as a spokesperson for breast and ovarian cancer.

LatinoGraduate.net: I would think that your role as a spokesperson for these causes has provided you with the opportunity to learn more personally about these critical issues.

Susie: When I first started, I actually knew very little-to-nothing about ovarian and breast cancers. The whole week after being crowned, I had meetings and conference calls with various organizations to inform me on what each organization did, and that is how I learned about these issues. Now I am able to speak, educate, and empower women about their bodies and breast and ovarian cancer. It's an amazing job.

LatinoGraduate.net: Did you know this was going to be your role when you applied to compete for Miss USA?

Susie: Yes, I did know that when I was applied.

LatinoGraduate.net: Let's talk about your background. I understand from your biography that you began to model when you were very young. Tell us about it.

Susie: Since I can remember, I'd wanted to be a model. I wanted to be on television and I saw myself in magazines. I remember talking with my mom one day and asking why I could not be the one who appears in the magazine ads. My mom, Carmen, told me that if I wanted to do it, I could do it! I asked her what I could do to begin and she said, "I don't know." I fell into a scam one day where they said they were agents and that if I paid them money up front that they would help get me into the model industry. Now I share with everyone that that is not how it works. In the real modeling world you don't pay anything up front, and you begin to receive money when you actually work. Most agents get between 15 to 20 percent of what you earn.

LatinoGraduate.net: How did you make contact with a legitimate agent?

Susie: I lived in a small town outside Boston, MA, and there were not many opportunities or contacts there at the time. I lived about 40 minutes from Boston, so I figured that I could find an agent in the larger city. I looked for agents there, found three of them, and chose one of them practically at random. I was fourteen at that time.

LatinoGraduate.net: How did you feel being 14 years old and going to a business office to negotiate a modeling contract?

Susie: I thought it was a dream come true. I was very excited. I had the feeling that I was doing the right thing and what was in my heart.

LatinoGraduate.net: It sounds like you are a very outgoing and extroverted person.

Susie: Yes, I absolutely am. Like I mentioned before, modeling was something I wanted to do and it was a dream come true, and I realize it would not have happened if it had not been for the help of my Mom. I met with my agent on a Wednesday, and then he called me the following day to go for an audition on Friday. I went to the audition and I got it: an antismoking commercial for the American Cancer Society. I thought it was very cool! Once I got the first job, I kept telling myself that I could do more!

Susie: My career did not really affect me much in school. My auditions were usually after school.

LatinoGraduate.net: What did your friends and peers think about your modeling career?

Susie: They thought it was great and fun. They wanted to see what work I had done. I would show them the end result of what was developed. They would look at pictures and tell me what they thought of them. I recall when I was modeling for a local department store, and since my picture was always on their fliers my peers would tell me that they saw my picture.

LatinoGraduate.net: One might think that once you started to get into the modeling business during high school, that college would not be part of your plans after graduation. Yet you went on to get a Bachelor's degree in Interior Design from Endicott College.

Susie: Yes, even though I was in modeling and actively involved in the entertainment industry, I recognized that it is a very competitive industry, and I like to be prepared for every situation. As a high school freshman I did think of having a full-time modeling career, but I realized that I could be dropped at any moment - and then what would I do? That is when I started realizing how important college was. Given the people I was meeting as I was modeling, I began to notice that the most successful people were educated. This made a major impression on me. The more I thought about it the more I knew that I had to get a college degree. Once I was in college I focused totally on doing well. After I graduated with my degree in interior architecture and design, I decided that I could go back to modeling. Then, as I was preparing to go back to this industry I learned about the Miss USA pageant system and decided to apply.

LatinoGraduate.net: Did you try to continue modeling while you were in college?

Susie: I tried it a little, but I realized that it was going to conflict with my efforts to get an education. There was no time to do both well, and as a perfectionist I don't do something unless I can do it right. My decision was made to do college right and see it through until I graduated. My career in the entertainment area would simply have to wait.

LatinoGraduate.net: While you were attending college did you find yourself with self-doubts as to whether you had made the right decision?

Susie: No doubts. People can lose or have material objects taken away, but I knew that education and knowledge were things that no one could take away from me.

LatinoGraduate.net: What were some of the major experiences you had while you were in college?

Susie: I learned about some of my other passions besides modeling. For example, I majored in interior architecture and design, and the way I selected that major was that I asked myself what profession I would like to do in my life if I could never model again. This was a realistic scenario because, again, the modeling industry is extremely competitive. I realized that I loved architecture and decorating, and could be happy in those fields.

LatinoGraduate.net: Did you base your college choice on your intended major?

Susie: No, I didn't. In fact, I was undecided on a major for a while when I started college, but once I really thought about it I realized that I had a passion for these areas and I then decided to major in this.

LatinoGraduate.net: How did you do in college?

Susie: It was my senior year where I did my best. I think that was because I had finally adjusted to being away from home. I remember that year we had to do a project for one of my classes and I decided that I wanted to have the best project in the class and in my department. I worked very hard on this.

LatinoGraduate.net: Did your income from your modeling years in high school make it possible for you not to work while in college?

Susie: I had made some money, but it was not like working in Hollywood. I had to work. I worked as a waitress and also as a babysitter. I basically did whatever I could to pay for my education. I also needed extra money because my classes required extra art supplies and materials for presentations. For my senior project I had to purchase six presentation boards, and those can get expensive very quickly. I got jobs so that I could purchase the items I needed.

LatinoGraduate.net: What were your plans as you got closer to graduation?

Susie: My first plan was to get a job in an architectural or architectural design firm in Boston, but I graduated in 2001 and then the 9/11 event occurred. After that, jobs were scarce, and no one was renovating so I wanted to enter the hospitality industry where I might do architectural design for hotels and restaurants, but they were affected also. Basically, I could not find a job. No one was traveling, so the problem was snowballing to other areas of the economy. One of my options at the time was to participate in the Miss USA pageant, but in order for me to enter it I had to first win the Miss Massachusetts USA state competition. I competed in the Miss Massachusetts Teen Pageant as a college freshman.

LatinoGraduate.net: Now that you are involved first-handed with the organization of the Pageants, has your views of what the Pageants are about changed?

Susie: Actually, no. I am a person who invests a great deal of time doing research. I had watched the pageants since I was a kid, so I knew what the girls were involved with. Even before I applied, I already knew what the official campaigns would be. I knew that we would represent the country in the Miss Universe Pageant. Because I did my homework, there were not many new surprises.

LatinoGraduate.net: What do you think are some of the misconceptions that the public has about the pageants?

Susie: I'm constantly asked if the delegates are mean to each other and if there are "cat fights" backstage. Actually they are very nice girls, and I would not be involved in the Pageants if they involved such negative activity. Many people also think that I am always on a strict diet and that I eat only certain things, but the reality is that I eat whatever I want. I am a healthy person. I have always played sports and I have a high metabolism. Since high school I have always considered health and exercise to be important, and if I keep my shape it is because I work out and not because people don't feed me.

LatinoGraduate.net: What are your favorite sports?

Susie: I played volleyball for eight years, first in high school and then as a team captain in college. I also played lacrosse.

LatinoGraduate.net: How did you develop this attitude about being prepared before you jumped into something new? You also seem to be very comfortable in competitive environments.

Susie: I think I learned it from my mother. As a divorcee she had to work two or three jobs just to support us, but she would make sure to devote as much energy to me in our home as she did at work. Watching her, I assumed that life was just like that. I am like that also and I still believe that I need to do my research before I do something. I do not want to fail at it. If I am very passionate about something I will go the extra mile to do my research. I will find out ask much as I can and I will also ask as many questions as possible. I like to talk to people who have experience in what I want to get into.

LatinoGraduate.net: Do you have any advice your Mom has given you that you constantly keep in mind?

Susie: Quite a bit, but the most important would have to be when she told me that whatever I set my mind to do, I can do.

LatinoGraduate.net: Do you believe that?

Susie: Absolutely! You believe what your parents tell you, so I believed it. I have run into people who tell me that I can't do something, or they tell me how tough it is to do something. People ask me what I have that makes me think I can do something. My response is, "why not?" People ask me if I thought I was going to win the Miss USA Pageant. My response is always "Yes!" I always wonder why someone would try something at all if they though they would fail. I knew that only one of 51 girls had to win, so why shouldn't that one be me? One has to stay positive regarding the things one is going to do because it gives confidence. Having a strong and positive self-esteem is also very important. When I am preparing myself to do something that is difficult and challenging, I like to think about it; I begin to wonder about how, if others can do it and have done it, why can't I be one of them as well? I think that, with enough work and dedication, you can get there, and I am living proof of that.

LatinoGraduate.net: You are clearly in the public eye, being constantly highlighted in conferences, television, radio, magazine, etc. What would you say are some of the things you learned in school and college that you have found invaluable to your public role?

Susie: It is usually the case, especially for those in my college major, to have to get over the nervousness of standing in front of a room and giving presentations, which we constantly did in my courses.. This requires getting used to being and thinking on the spot. We would have to draw sketches or present drafting plans, and basically present our ideas to the class. We would get feedback, either positive or negative, but always constructive. This helped me a great deal. Now if I get nervous, it is only a little and only at the beginning. Once I start a presentation, I concentrate on what I need to accomplish, and the nervousness goes away.

LatinoGraduate.net: Did you find the general required course work helpful toward your current and future success?

Susie: Oh yes, absolutely. I particularly recall two psychology classes that taught me about other people regarding their behaviors, and that also helped to mold myself into the person I am today. One's way of thinking is also expanded, and that is crucial. There are times when I am in front of an audience and I get many questions that I have to think about on the spot. I don't have the time to research everything, so I have to depend on my education and what I learned in those psychology classes to analyze the question, figure out what I'm really being asked, and prepare my response from that. That is why I think it is important to be diverse and have a wide educational scope about a number of subjects. I also think that it is important to have an opinion about topics, and I certainly consider myself as opinionated.

LatinoGraduate.net: What are your future plans?

Susie: Since I have won the title of Miss USA, I have been blessed with many opportunities, and the Miss Universe Organization has helped me to find an excellent personal talent agent. I am looking forward to working closely with that agent once I crown my successor this coming April 12th, and possibly move to the west coast. I would like to pursue my dream of modeling and hosting a television show. I love to make people laugh, and I would find it very fulfilling to make people happy in that way. Also, I see myself continuing to model and perhaps working on some sitcom. I would also like to do some endorsement projects. However, I am always comforted by the fact that, if these plans don't work out for whatever reason, I always have my degree to fall back on.

LatinoGraduate.net: Closing statements for our readers?

Susie: Never, ever be afraid to follow your dream. If you think about it, life is just a dream to make a reality. Students need to be prepared and dedicate themselves to working hard at their passion. Just when you think something is not going to happen it will happen, if you work hard and just believe.

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