Modeling organization completes first of four fashion shows

By LAURA MELONE

Present Perfect Modeling Organization (PPMO) had its annual pre-show Friday.

The student-run group organizes fashion shows on campus throughout out the year.

“We have four shows a year,” said Sebrina Burgess, a mechanical engineering major and a PPMO participant.

Burgess said the first runway show is presented to recruit newcomers who may be interested in joining the group.

“The pre-show shows people that might be interested in joining what we do,” she said.

Before the show started, a DJ played high-energy rap music and some audience members started dancing and singing along.

“It was a completely new experience for me,” said Brittany Barajas, freshman nursing major. “I want to see more of what PPMO has to offer for NIU students.”

The $2 cover charge goes toward funding the PPMO events throughout the year, Burgess said.

The organization is open to anybody – both aspiring models and people looking for something to do in their free time.

The group holds annual auditions. This year, there is a workshop at 8 p.m. Thursday in DuSable Hall, Room 310. Tryouts are from 7 p.m. to midnight Sunday in the Holmes Student Center’s Carl Sandburg Auditorium.

Van Amos, program coordinator at the Center for Black Studies, said the group started 22 years ago.

“We’ve been on campus since 1985, and we’re still here. And hopefully, we’ll be here for another 25 years,” Amos said.