Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexis Boundas.
Hi Alexis, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Chicago, IL and moved to Austin for school. Ever since I was a young girl, I have been balancing my modeling career and dreams of becoming a doctor. Since as early as I could remember, I have always loved modeling but also always felt that my place in the world was as a doctor, helping children. Growing up, I constantly felt like I was being pulled in two different directions, being told by others and by myself that I had to choose between modeling and school. To be honest, I don’t think I really grasped that I could achieve both until this past year. I am now a 4th-year student at UT Austin studying neuroscience, kinesiology, and Spanish for medical professions while on the pre-medical track. In addition to my responsibilities as a full-time student, I work part-time in the ER and as a represented model at The Brown Agency. Recently, I became more active on social media as a way to inspire other young women into pursuing all their dreams, regardless of what others tell them. I believe that it’s not just ok to have more than one passion, it should be encouraged. Nobody should ever feel pressured to give up on a dream just because it doesn’t fit the status quo.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not been the smoothest road. I think one of the hardest struggles for me was trying to find a balance between my modeling life and my school life. I knew I wanted to be successful in both but didn’t fully understand how to achieve that until this past year. I have struggled with my mental health in the past, dealing with anxiety, depression and OCD. I wound up putting extra pressure on myself to be perfect at everything I did rather than to just be my best. I think there is a stigma that comes with talking about mental health that causes many people to look down on those that suffer from things like anxiety or depression, but that’s unfair. For me, mental health has been a constant internal battle that never fully goes away so I think it’s important to be vocal about my struggles and how I moved past them.
One thing that came easy to me growing up was school, or at least that’s how it was until I got to college. I think it happens to a lot of students, excelling in your classes and getting accustomed to the easy success only to get to college and be woken up by weed-out classes. My first year at UT was, to put it bluntly, not good. I received a 2.9 GPA my first semester and I was still trying to rediscover myself, meet new people, and travel back and forth from Chicago to Austin for modeling and holidays. By the end of my first semester, I felt completely hopeless and thought there was no way I would be able to make it into medical school. Looking back, I know that was a bit of an overreaction; my one bad semester won’t determine my future. I think struggles are a natural part of life, but in the moment can feel like the end of the world. I haven’t exactly figured everything out, but I have learned how to slowly overcome each struggle and how to take a step back and look at it from an outside perspective.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
The thing I am most proud of is being able to overcome my struggles and find success in both my modeling career and my medical career. I think that is also what sets me apart from others. There are not many models my age that are also pursuing a vigorous career path such as the medical field. I faced doubt in nearly every direction I turned, from self-doubt to doubt from others. When I finally took ownership over my life and started to live the life I want to live, I found myself much happier and much more successful. I am proud of myself for shutting out all the negative noise and finding a balance between working in the ER, being a model, and being a student.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
The characteristic that has been most important to my success has definitely been my determination. My journey to becoming the person I am today has been riddled with stumbles and shortcomings, but I always got back up. I’ve learned more from my failures than I ever could have learned from my successes. I would not be the person I am today if I didn’t fail, but I also wouldn’t be where I’m at today without my relentless determination.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexi.boundas/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/lexi.boundas
Image Credits
Arlen James Kevin Deal
