Name: Nida Vidutis
Claim to fame: 2nd place in Ann Taylor national modeling competition
Age: 20
Year: 2012
School: CC
Major: Political Science, Anthropology
Hometown: Takoma Park, Maryland
Relationship status: In a relationship
On-campus activities: President of the Political Science Student Association, board member of Amnesty International, Columbia tour guide, Editor of Publius.
Pet peeves: People who pull themselves up by putting others down.
Please describe the contest: At a Columbia networking event, Ann Taylor chose 5 girls to represent Columbia in an online student competition. I, along with the 4 other Columbia girls, got to go and pick out an outfit at the flagship store for a fashion shoot near campus. The pictures were posted online, along with 5 contestants from a total of 10 schools. Anyone could vote for the contestant/outfit that they liked best. The girls with the top 5 votes out of the 50 girls overall (including me – I placed 2nd…yay!) make it to the final round – an in-house vote at Ann Taylor headquarters to determine the grand prize winner. I’ll tell you if I win April 28th!
Do you plan to continue modeling? Probably not. It’s pretty time consuming…Not to mention the average age of a model is 15-21, so I’m basically too old haha. I wish I could though, there’s definitely a thrill that you get when you’re walking down a runway or in front of a camera. It made high school a bit more exciting!
What tips do you have for someone trying to start modeling? Unless you’re from Brazil…learn how to walk!! Tall girls especially tend to not feel very comfortable in heels, and learning to look comfortable and confident striding down a runway is MUCH easier said than done. I never really got the hang of it.
What is your favorite place off-campus? Hmm… Favorite NYC sites = the Highline and the Tenement Museum. Favorite restaurant = Kefi. Favorite place near campus = Hungarian, Angelina Pizza Bar, and Ascension Church.
Dream job: I think it would be really amazing to run for elected political office. I don’t think that anyone should run for politics until they find an issue they are very passionate about (otherwise it becomes too centralized on desire for power), but I also think that it’s a problem that running for office seems somehow unreachable to many people – especially women (Did you know that the average woman has to be asked SIX times to run for politics before she seriously considers it?!). There is a lot of good to be done – and not just on the national level – a lot of important work is done in city and district councils, state senates, etc.
Summer plans: Working for the Women’s Foreign Policy Group in DC.
If you were stuck on a desert island, you would need: Harry Potter 1-7.
Every girl needs these three things in their closet: Jacket that she loves, shoes that she loves, and dress that she loves.
You perfect date in seven words or less: Love, laughter, mac and cheese.
HamDel decides to name a sandwich after you (what’s it called, what is in it): NeedaNidaDuh!: Broccoli, onion and cheese omelet on a croissant.
Your spirit animal: Camel.
Your top three albums of all time: Elvis Costello’s “This Year’s Model” (Ha!), Arcade Fire’s “Funeral” and the Beatles’ “Abbey Road”
If you could be a superhero, you would be: Anyone who can fly.
If you could invite anyone to dinner, you would ask: Hillary Clinton, but she’d probably be busy.
One thing you want to do before graduating: Crash a party in John Jay or Carman.
Dream husband: It used to be Prince William, so I’ll have to get back to you.