A model of success: WVU graduate lands national magazine cover

Stories | WVU Today | West Virginia University

West Virginia University
alumna Elleyse Gemondo just took her modeling career to the next level, landing
her first national magazine cover earlier this summer.

“Last year, Bella
Gladys, a high-end publication that features models, brands, designers and
photographers from around the world, invited me to be a model in its summer
issue of 2017,” Gemondo, Bridgeport native, said. “We did the photoshoots last
fall with two different photographers and teams.”

Gemondo credits WVU for
much of her success.

“My experience at WVU
has truly shaped who I am today,” she said. “I was a part of various clubs and
organizations, including the Delta Gamma Sorority, Mountaineer Maniacs and
the Fashion Business Association, and I served as
a WVU college representative for BANGS Shoes.”

As a fashion, design
and merchandising major (now fashion, dress and merchandising), Gemondo
took advantage of the program’s annual Fashion Study Tour in New York City,
where she met many top designers and got an inside look at the fashion
industry, and Disegno
Italia, an interdisciplinary study abroad trip, hosted by the WVU Davis College of
Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design and College of Creative
Arts. During the latter, Gemondo traveled to Italy and studied
digital photography, Italian and art history.

Throughout her college
career, Gemondo consistently pursued opportunities that would challenge her and
give her a competitive edge.

“WVU taught me how to
work hard for what I wanted – while successfully multitasking – and to always
go above and beyond to get myself known in the industry,” she said.

This fall, Gemondo, who
currently works as a merchandising assistant for Gabriel Brothers, Inc., will
begin graduate studies at LIM College in New York City. Her ultimate goal is to
become a buyer in the fashion industry while pursuing modeling on the side.

Although this was
Gemondo’s first cover shoot, this wasn’t her first time in ...

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