By Alicia Roache, Staff Reporter "I'M IN my 30s right now. I don't want to be competing with girls 16 (years old). I think I have done my time. I think I could do more, we all do, but I think it's time to move on really," says former model Juline Samuels. This is the reason she gave, for walking away from a successful modelling career that lasted more than 13 years.
Juline left her home in Montego Bay at age 17, and moved to Kingston to pursue her dream of a career in modelling through the Pulse agency. But after an extended run and many accomplishments, Juline has given it all up. Samuels was Jamaica's first representative to the Ford Supermodel of the World Competition in 1989, after she was chosen by Katie Ford in the local leg of the competition staged by Pulse. Now, Samuels is a real estate agent with House and Homes in Queens, New York, but says she does most of her work on her own.
CERTIFIED REALTOR
A certified Realtor, Samuels says that her present passion was not something she had planned for. " I got into real estate by accident," she explains. "I bought a condo in 1995. It was my first real estate purchase. I sold it and bought a house in 1998, and almost doubled my money when I sold it (the condo). Me buying and selling my own places made me realise I could make money."
Though Samuels' two major occupations, modelling and real estate, seem to be worlds apart, one influenced her decision to remain in the other, she says. "Coming from modelling you work for yourself. You do not want to get into a office," she explains.
Samuels has remained outside the office since she got her certification from the Long Island Board of Realtors in 2000. But once a model, always a model it seems. Samuels admits that she does not languish in the hope of a second chance at living the model's life but says if the right opportunity comes along she would consider modelling again. "I wouldn't go chasing modelling again. I'm satisfied with my 12-13 years," she says.
During those years modelling, Samuels has done major editorials, strutted down numerous runways from London to South Africa, and shot many commercials. Among her achievements are the 1992 cover of Essence magazine, glossy ads, Beefeater Dry Gin and Mennen Deodorant commercials. She claims that the industry has not changed much, "Except, black models are getting more work ... and they are starting younger", she says.
Of course, the business of it remains the same. "Its a business," she says to young models. "You have to take it seriously. It's your career, you are working to make things happen. What you do in the first two to three years is going to determine how long you last."
