Bestyears, I commend you for doing what you can to open your mind to the possibilities, going along with your daughter to the initial meetings and for seeking more information. You are trying to do what's best for your daughter and clearly you are struggling with *how much* support is appropriate. I am not a parent but I do know that the transitional years between teen/child and adulthood are tricky for all-- and there's no single right answer or approach. What I do know is that your love, support and guidance are more valuable than anything else you can provide-- including money-- your daughter is blessed to have you with her as she moves towards her adult life. I don't have any experience with modeling-- though I have a few friends who have done "light" modeling in regional catalogs, etc and one friend who did runway modeling in NYC and in Europe long before I knew her. FWIW, she also has a stunning education with a PhD from an ivy league school (which I believe she pursued after modeling but I am not sure). From your description of your daughter, she appears to be mindful and committed to her health and diet-- this is a great foundation. We're all aware of the issues with eating disorders and unhealthy weights in the modeling industry but at least it's no longer a "dirty little secret". I would continue to praise her healthy eating and support her in continuing to develop the confidence and resolve to know who she is and what is health for her. This is the best way to combat the challenges she may face regarding weight and diet. This same self awareness will guide her too to know what type of modeling will best suit her. There are many kinds of modeling and each comes with a different lifestyle. Which best suits her personality? Is she a careful planner or is she excited by spontaneous opportunity? Would she be excited by the prospect of packing up and flying out to a shoot across the country with little notice or would she be more comfortable with a shoot schedule a month in advance? Is she fiercely independent and self-motivated or does she most thrive with the support of friends and family near her? Once she knows (and perhaps she already does) which type of modeling she wants to pursue, she can make good decisions about how to proceed. it will help her to choose an agency and determine where and how college fits in. I would view each agency very critically. Is it realistic to consider modeling and college at the same time? I can't really say but I'd sure ask hard, driving questions of the agency that suggests she can. Are they looking to (and able to) offer her big time runway modeling opportunities, national agency shoots or are they looking to fill their stables with pretty faces for regional catalogs. What's their track record? How these agencies respond to the questions will give you and your daughter a better idea of her potential and which agency can give her the best opportunity to make it happen. No matter what career we choose, there are risks and opportunities. The best thing you can do is to help your daughter look at her options clearly, realistically and from all perspectives... and to be flexible enough to move on to a plan B or C (or D!) as time and opportunities evolve. Best wishes for all of you at this exciting time!

Sorry, he could have been, but it was so long ago I did this research I can't remember now. The part about being a community college professor is all I remember. I did find my email from Andrew Bunting in 2010: The Sequoia sempervirens we have on campus which does sometimes parade under the name of "Swarthmore Hardy" is from a plant we got from the Coker Arboretum in 1994 (i.e., the North Carolina/Venable tree, also marketed by Camellia Forest as 'Chapel Hill'.). We don't having any other old plants on campus. We do have a plant of Sequoia sempervirens that is about 30' feet tall that we got from the Barnes Arboretum in 1980. So I guess he means the larger S.s. on the Swarthmore campus, is the North Carolina/Coker/Venable tree. I can't say for sure because in spite a couple visits to the campus, I never noticed either one! As I said though, having owned clones of both for a few years now, they sure do look identical, so it corroborates Bunting's account. Now would be the time for someone to propagate the Barnes/U Washington clone! Sadly it isn't always easy. In 2016 I sent Cam Forest S.s. cuttings I collected at some elevation in the coast ranges after driving around for a day looking for one I thought would be in a 'cold spot'. It was a frost hollow at 1400'. Alas, the attempt to root them failed.

Comparing the Shade Store and Steve’s Blinds is like saying a Cadillac is analogous to a Hyundai. They are two different product offerings for entirely different consumers. The Shade Store has designer fabrics like offerings from Nate Berkus, Chilewich, Novogratz, etc (real noted designers, not just using the word ‘designer’). The fabrics and hardware are very high quality and you won’t find any cheapo parts or flimsy valances made of plastic. They are aiming to provide a neutral modern aesthetic of on trend grays and beiges. If you want peach or blush go elsewhere. They are also super expensive and you can find similar offerings from mainstream brands for far far less money. Most of their products are interchangeable with offerings from others (I.e. roller shades, sheer shades, Roman shades) but they have a couple unique lines that seem to be innovative—gorgeous Horizontal blinds in unique wood and metal (not just plain white ones for a country kitchen available from every blind maker under the sun) and their XL Vertical Blind product are examples. They also have the exclusive fabrics mentioned. I will be using two large shades from them in my project but going elsewhere for the rest due to their sky high pricing that can make rip off artist Hunter Douglas look reasonable and the fact that their motorization systems, while reasonably priced, don’t seem to have any plan for future upgrade or support—when a shade breaks you have to buy a new one if out of warranty. In summary look at their stuff and see if you find it unique enough to justify the price. If not then get a similar product from many other vendors, maybe even Steve’s Blinds. If you want to spend twice the money for manual and get motorized, call a local blind expert to consult with you as there are many considerations and I would not just order from online vendors.

To echo all others, DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY! Made filed the wrong plans with our City Building Dept for someone else's bathroom. Now, we have an unpermitted bathroom. I only discovered the permit issue when I saw that Made installed the wrong vanity, wrong tub, wrong toilet, wrong tile, wrong fixtures...the list goes on, in our home. Inconceivable, considering we signed off on written design plans and a product purchase list. Upon discovering Made's incompetence, I asked the contractor to stop construction while we sorted the mess out. The contractor told me that other Made accounts of his were in litigation. Made said the right items were installed in our bathroom, and they completely ignored the issue of the wrong plans being filed. This is absurd, as everything is in writing, there are SKUs on everything, and the incorrect plans are clearly on record with the City. But Made already had our money (they make you pay everything in advance). Their very obvious strategy is to deny and ignore, hoping you'll give up. So, we hired an attorney to help us elevate our complaints. Again, Made denied and ignored. Thankfully, there is an arbitration clause in the contract we signed. We are very confident that we will prevail when a third party arbitrator is involved. But it's very clear (look at Glassdoor or anywhere else online) that Made will go out of business, and it's just a matter of when. Hopefully, we can recoup some of our losses before then. Years of dealing with Made and all we have is an unusable, unfinished master bathroom that we already paid for, plus a race to arbitration before Made is bankrupt. We've since learned and renovated successfully 2 of our remaining bathrooms by working with a contract designer (Fiverr or Upwork have lots of options) and a local contractor directly. So much better. Do yourself a favor and avoid Made at all costs.