LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / February 26, 2000

DESTREHAN – They’re tall, good-looking, have great smiles and are headed for Houston next month with hopes and dreams of modeling stardom. Andthey’re from Destrehan High School.

Model Search America, which regularly seeks the next new faces to adorn everything from magazine covers to music videos, came to the Radisson Hotel in New Orleans on Jan. 10 to see 1,000 young hopefuls.From that talent pool only 20 were selected to take the next step – a national talent search in Houston on March 17-19.

Among those 20 chosen to make the trip are Tia Nicholas, 17, daughter of Rodney and Erica Nicholas of Destrehan and an 11th-grade student at Destrehan High, and KJ Haydel, 18, son of Kenny and Anne Haydel of Destrehan and a 12th-grader at Destrehan High.

“I’m happy,” Tia said, smiling. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I’mtrying to get my own agent.”Her career dreams include runway modeling and an outlet for her talents as a singer and composer of rhythm-and-blues music.

Meanwhile, the 5-foot-8-inch Tia has all the right stuff to hit it big – a winning smile and a brain behind it.

For years, people told KJ Haydel he ought to be a model, so it was always in the back of his head. Several months ago he heard a radio ad for ModelSearch America’s event at the Radisson.

“I had been thinking about it for two years, but I didn’t know where to start,” Haydel said.

He explained that since that’s the situation for most would-be models, companies such as Model Search scout places outside of New York and Los Angeles for prospects.

“My dad (DHS assistant football coach Kenny Haydel) thought it was a far- fetched idea, but mom (administrative assistant at R.J. Vial ElementarySchool) is all for it. So are my grandparents, Barbara and Floyd Guillot ofLaPlace,” he said.

Haydel said he and Tia will both head for Houston March 17 for a five-hour class on proper runway technique prior to the main event on March 18, where each will walk a runway with modeling agents on all sides.

The following day is call-back day, where all prospects are invited but very few are selected.

“I’d give anything to do runway, magazines or commercials,” he said. “Mychoice would be magazines, though.”Presently, he plays golf and works as a busboy at Ormond Country Club.

Before long, he hopes, he might end up on MTV’s “Real World.””Oh, man, I’d love that!” Haydel said.

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