Modeling in the fashion world can be exciting. From magazine covers to globetrotting, these are just a few cool things you get to experience with a modeling job. But, there is more. How about building self-esteem, healthy eating, manners and etiquette, just to name a few. Those are important, too, to help models navigate successful modeling careers.

I had the pleasure of meeting Erika Mash, the founder and instructor of More Than Modeling, located in Scottsdale. This modeling school is not just about modeling classes but also teaches life skills like how to build self-confidence, how to know if something on social media is real or not, how to write a check and pay bills, just to name a few.

I asked Mash how she got into modeling. She says that she started modeling while she was in college working towards her degree in biology. She was told she should be a model so she worked as one as a summer job. Mash modeled for a photographer who worked for some really big magazines in London, and after college she continued her modeling career.

One thing she loved about being a model was traveling around the world. She has lived in England, Asia, Australia, and now America. She is in the process of becoming a U.S. citizen and loves America! Scottsdale was her city of choice, away from busy modeling places like Los Angeles or New York.

Mash says that her modeling career was exciting and worth the experience, but she noticed that young models didn’t have the social skills to work in an adult world. A lot of them traveled without parents and only had their agents to help them.

An idea came to her to help young models navigate life on the road. On her website, future students can choose classes to teach them how to be a model for runway and photography, how get modeling jobs, healthy eating, taking care of skin, hair, and nails, along with life skills. I asked Mash what inspired her to start More than Modeling. She says she wanted to educate kids while they’re still young so that they can be ready and prepared for the world. I asked about the most important attribute a model should possess. She says that persistence and determination are probably the two most important attributes.

I learned so much about the modeling world and made a new friend. For more information, go to www.morethanmodeling.com .