Today we’d like to introduce you to Cecelia Schaefer.
Hi Cecelia, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in a very remote area of south-central Texas near a tiny town called Utopia (yes, it’s a real place)! I was raised on a ranch of about 220 acres in the middle of nowhere, but it’s arguably the most beautiful area of Texas that exists. I have one older sister, and so we were blessed to have grown up surrounded by and immersed in nature and the wilderness of the ranch at our fingertips – raising livestock, riding horses, taking care of animals, competing in rodeo, hunting and fishing, endless hiking. . . you name it! Having that lifestyle growing up definitely shaped me to the core of who I am today and what I value. Living in the middle of nowhere and constantly learning rough lessons from the outdoors is like a different kind of “classroom.” I’d say 90% of life’s most important lessons I learned on the ranch from growing up in the country: Responsibility, respect, community, humbling yourself down to your small space in this world, the circle of life and impermanence, self-sustainability and knowing where your food comes from by helping maintain ecological balance through responsibly hunting & fishing your own food sources. Everything related to outdoorsmanship is some of the most valuable facets of life that humans can be skilled in, humbled by, and grounded in. And I will forever be grateful for that type of upbringing and the values it instilled in me, and will forever be grateful for having my parents and sister be excellent examples and teachers of those principles as well.
That being said, the world of fashion and modeling wasn’t very pronounced or represented in that lifestyle, nor in the surrounding communities of where I grew up. As a child, I think that’s what made the fashion industry seem so enticing to me. . . it was almost like this radically different fantasy world of creativity, beautiful clothes, delicate craftsmanship, models, photoshoots, and flashiness. With the closest stores or larger towns being at least an hour away in any direction, the only access I had to that fantasy world of fashion was through television, magazines, and of course Barbie dolls. I remember always admirably looking through Vogue and People magazines as a kid and seeing the fashion editorial ads and just thinking “How cool. . . I want to do that someday.” And then I watched my first episode of America’s Next Top Model and I was hooked, and the seeds of my modeling dreams had officially been planted.
Of course, living in the middle of nowhere though, there were zero opportunities for modeling, so I focused on academics and sports in the meantime instead. I graduated with my fellow high school class of about 17 students, and off we went to leave the canyon and venture into the “real world.” I attended the University of Texas at Austin from 2015-2019 and graduated with my bachelor’s degree in biological anthropology. Throughout this time in college, I developed another passion for my major that was focused on human evolution, primate behavior, and conservation. I knew I also wanted to remain in and grow in this career field for the rest of my life, with the new dream of eventually obtaining my Ph.D. in primate conservation. But I also still deeply wanted to model, so I just began doing freelance modeling work with whatever opportunities I could find while still remaining dedicated to school and my research.
After college graduation, I knew I wanted to finally pursue my modeling dreams on a professional level now that I would have more free time. I immediately began searching for modeling agencies in Texas, and that’s when I came across the Neal Hamil Agency in Houston. I put together a little portfolio book of the freelance work I had done in college, went into an open-call casting for the agency (terrified at the moment might I say), and the rest was history! Throughout the next six months, I was driving every weekend to Houston to receive photo-posing and runway coaching from the agency, learning about the more complex inner-workings of the fashion industry as a whole, and really just refining my modeling skills to get myself to the level of being represented, respected, and seen professionally. I’ve been signed with the Neal Hamil Agency for about two years now, and it’s been an absolute dream come true and one of the accomplishments that I’m most proud of in life looking back at where I came from – When the world of fashion and modeling had seemed so out of reach to me as a kid. But I always held on to that dream and jumped at the chance to finally make it happen when the time was right.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It wasn’t always a smooth journey, especially when I got slight pushback from my family after graduating college when I wanted to professionally pursue modeling. I knew I wanted to eventually attend graduate school to obtain my Ph.D. in primate conservation, but I also knew that deep down I didn’t want to do that right away. After all, this was the first period in my life where I actually had the choice to not have my life revolve around school or academics or research projects for once, and I knew there was no better time to really chase my modeling dreams than as a young 22-year-old college graduate with newfound time on her hands. These past few years I’ve been able to devote completely to myself and to my dreams, and I don’t feel regretful about that choice at all. But I think initially it was really difficult for my parents to accept that I wanted to table my Ph.D. goals for a bit, especially considering that a large part of my personality has been rooted in academic success throughout my life. It was kind of shocking to them when I made that decision to focus on modeling and hold off on my Ph.D. dreams for a few more years, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel judgment and slight disappointment coming from them during that time. That did hurt because I felt like I had no support or encouragement from my parents, but I held strong in my decision and luckily received endless support from my friends. I finally had an epiphany that my life is to be lived for myself and for my dreams, and however I decide to change up the timeline for when I want to accomplish those dreams is completely up to me. So just reminding myself of that was empowering and kept me going.
Entering the modeling world and fashion industry with little to no professional experience was also tough and very intimidating at the time. Once I had gotten my foot in the door of finding my agency, the real work began to mold myself up and develop my skills in order to be taken seriously. For a good 6 months, I was waking up at 5 AM on the weekends to drive to Houston, taking runway classes, meeting with photo-posing coaches for sessions, practicing for castings and auditions. . . I sacrificed a lot during those months to get the professional training that I knew I needed to complete in order to build and refine my skills as a new model, and there were times when I wanted to give up, or when I felt defeated, or when I thought that I wasn’t good enough to make it in the industry. But your dreams only work if you do, and so I kept going and never gave up. I want to go give that old apprehensive version of myself a hug and tell her to keep working hard, and that she will get to where she needs to be.
Shortly after I had accomplished the levels of training that I needed to really be ready to jump into the industry as a signed professional model, was also coincidentally when the worst chapter of my life seemed to hit all at once. In the summer of 2020 during the pandemic, I experienced being a witness to and first-responder on scene of a gruesome car accident that has forever changed how I view and live life. The trauma of what I saw and experienced that day was something that no human should ever have to see or endure, and it thrust me into a very dark place emotionally and mentally. I was also at the same time trying to heal from a really difficult heartbreak, plus navigating new family medical issues that kept getting more severe and scary by the day. It just seemed like left and right I was being hit with events of loss, grief, and mourning. I began therapy and was diagnosed with clinical depression, PTSD, and anxiety. I’ve come to be very open about this period of my life because of the fact that it was so dark, and I think mental and emotional health needs to be at the forefront of conversations regarding self-care and self-awareness. Society has conditioned us to be so effective at just pushing down our feelings and ignoring ourselves when we know we need help. I hope that through me being open and vulnerable about my experiences with trauma, depression, and mental health that it can inspire others to feel like they have the courage to open up themselves and that there are soft places to land to seek healing. I also want to serve as an example that even the people who seem to have it all pulled together the most, probably don’t. We’re all suffering or hurting from something and that’s okay. If it weren’t for the months of therapy that I immersed myself in, or my amazing friends, family, and faith during that period of my life, I honestly don’t know if I would’ve been able to come out on the other side.
Modeling was also a huge outlet for me during this chapter and was integral to my healing as well. The process of being able to get lost in the creativity of a photo shoot, to see the results afterward and have something to be really proud of, or to practice for castings and go to runway auditions – Immersing myself in the beauty and energy of what I loved doing as a model really helped to remind me that I have dreams to live for and experiences to look forward to.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a signed model with the Neal Hamil Agency – I do commercial print modeling, runway, and also talent (so acting + singing). I was a theatre kid, so I’m very blessed that my agency also offers acting opportunities for me to engage in as well. I would love to also eventually expand to high-fashion editorial modeling, but would need to magically grow about 2 inches taller (a girl can dream though)!
I’d say I’m most proud of how far I’ve come as a whole – I look back on myself as a little girl in a small town on a remote ranch with a pipe-bomb dream to model in what then seemed like a completely foreign, intimidating, and inaccessible industry to me, as a student who devoted so much time for academics her whole life and barely had time to even take a breath let alone pursue a modeling dream on the side, as a recent trauma victim and survivor of a severely dark period of mental health in my life. . . And then I see where I am now and all that I’ve accomplished while enduring those obstacles, and that I’ve not already reached some of my professional modeling goals but that I’m also living the life I had always dreamed of. And I’m proud that I’ve remained strong, kept climbing the ladder, and never gave up, especially in what can often be a cut-throat industry.
I guess what sets me apart is that my background and my interests aren’t really considered “normal” for a stereotypical model (whatever that may be these days??) When I’m all dressed up and model-y, most people are in disbelief when they find out that I actually grew up on a ranch as an outdoor country girl, or that I love to go hunting and fishing, or that I can also talk your ear off about human evolution and primate behavioral science, and that I can still have a smile on my face after what I’ve been through in terms of the really dark stuff. Sometimes I feel like I represent a bunch of different interests or personalities mashed up into one human, but it’s all things that I care about and that make life unique for me. I’ve been told by others that’s why I’m an “interesting person,” so I guess I’ll take their word for it! Above all else, I just try and be the kindest person I can and by showing grace to others.
I also always say that I’d like to end up on the cover of Vogue and the Smithsonian Institution magazine at the same time – that would be the ultimate dream (it’s a far reach, I’m well aware). But to be recognized for my modeling and also for my future academic research in primate conservation is something I strive to accomplish. I think having big dreams is one of the most important things that we have the ability to do through being gifted this life. Whether those dreams are realistic to others or not just doesn’t matter – as long as they’re important to you and give you purpose and drive every day, then others’ opinions just don’t matter regarding if you can accomplish those dreams or not.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
For modeling, my biggest inspiration will always be found in any issue of the holy grail of fashion – Vogue. My favorite day of the month is when I get a fresh issue in the mail. Whenever I need new ideas for interesting poses, or inspiration for the theme of my next shoot that I’d like to do, or inspiring stories from other models’ lives across the fashion industry, my go-to is always Vogue.
For the outdoorsy and hunting side of my life, I always turn to the blogs and podcasts by the Meat Eater brand/website. They provide my favorite hunting content in regards to innovative equipment, wildlife biology and conservation of game animals, recipes, and overall personal development and knowledge for increasing my skill sets as a well-rounded, ethical, responsible, and sustainable hunter. I also love any content published by National Geographic or the Smithsonian Institution when it comes to my primate ecology interests!
For life as a whole, especially in difficult or confusing times in my life, I turn to the Bible (sounds cheesy, I know, but it’s what I can ground myself in when nothing seems to make sense). My faith and relationship with God is extremely important to me, and has been an integral part of my life in periods of healing and seeking refuge. So whenever I need to find peace or just guidance in general, I know that I can always turn to scripture.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thenealhamilagency.com/talent/cecelia-schaefer-1?main_portfolio=women-commercial&portfolio=women-commercial
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cecelia_schaef/
Image Credits
Photo by Jordan Fischels Photo by Kelsie Raney
