Elle Decor recently named the East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library at Goodwood one of the 50 Best Libraries in the United States. The magazine was impressed by the library’s rooftop terrace with its succulent garden, entry plaza with water features, stained glass windows and paper waterfall made of recycled magazine pages—many of the same features that drew us to use the library as a backdrop for this month’s style shoot. ebrpl.com
A Baton Rouge high schooler has been named Model of the Year by one fashion week—and she’s not stopping there
Styling: Elle Marie | Photography: Kristina Britt Makeup: Zonda Barnes of the Makeup Doll | Hair:CeKeisha Williams Shot on location at:East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library
When Oneofakind Baton Rouge Fashion Week rolls around each year, you can find 6-foot-tall model Rosalyn Cornelius strutting down the runway in evening gowns or glammed-up separates.
But today, the high school junior is dressed in what she calls her typical “lazy teen” look: jeans and a Mentorship Academy sweatshirt. As she gets her hair and makeup done for today’s shoot, she clutches a copy of the novel The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith on her lap.
She reads a lot, and with school now in full swing she is always toting a book around and constantly checking out something new at the library.
She also loves art and says her art teacher is like her second mom.
It was her art teacher who told her about Baton Rouge Fashion Week and encouraged her to get involved. People had been telling her she should get into modeling for years, and this was the final push she needed to pursue it.
Cornelius remembers her first trip down the runway for the 2015 BRFW being a nerve-wracking one. But today, she has multiple shows under her belt. She’s even traveled to Arkansas to model in Little Rock Fashion Week, where this year she was chosen as Model of the Year by the show’s media members, fashion experts and sponsors. The accolade won her a contract with Oneofakind Talent Inc., which produces the fashion weeks in both Little Rock and Baton Rouge.
Cornelius was first notified that she’d been named Model of the Year when she was in the middle of cleaning up her family’s home, which flooded in August.
As the waters receded, she and her family spent the following weeks picking up the pieces that were left of their home. It was aggravating and exhausting. But hearing the news of her award was a bright point during a difficult period in her family’s life.
Cornelius says she plans to return to the LRFW and BRFW stages in the upcoming seasons. She says “getting to meet new people that are like you and want to do the same thing as you” is her favorite part of walking runways. After she graduates from the Mentorship Academy, she’s considering pursuing modeling full time.
But, in the meantime, she’s still just a teenager who spends her Saturdays hanging out with friends shopping or at a Southern University football game—always dressed in a comfy sweatshirt and jeans.
—MEG RYAN
Cornelius modeled some fall looks for the November issue of 225:
POL distressed denim jacket (worn as a dress), $70
Belt, $10
Gold choker, $10
Ring, $15
Earrings, $15
Wrapped choker (worn as a bracelet), $20
Black patent bucket purse, $40 From Divas & Diamonds Accessories
This article was originally published in the November 2016 issue of 225 Magazine.
She reads a lot, and with school now in full swing she is always toting a book around and constantly checking out something new at the library.
