Meet Paris Al-Atraqchi
Paris Al-Atraqchi moved to New York when she was only 16 to train at the Joffrey Ballet School with a focus in classical ballet. Even though she’s only 18 now, she’s already leading a fascinating life as a model in New York. Read on to learn more about Paris Al-Atraqchi.
Paris Al-Atraqchi
Q: Hi Paris. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I was born in New Jersey, USA and raised in a small suburb called Acton in Massachusetts. I moved to New York City by myself when I was 16, just after I finished up my sophomore year of high school.
I actually didn’t come to NY to become a model. I moved out to train at the Joffrey Ballet School with a focus in classical ballet. My dream was to be a professional dancer.
I moved to New York City when I was 16
I got into dance modeling a few months after moving to New York when a photographer scouted me in a Starbucks just by the Brooklyn Bridge.
a photographer scouted me in a Starbucks
I fell in love with the modeling scene, which led to a passion for all types of modeling. I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis when I was 17 and had a lot of health complications that got in the way of my dance training. I left ballet school midway through my second year of training to move back in with my parents, get my health sorted, and also earn my high school diploma.
Education has always been very important to me and the online school I was studying at wouldn’t accept the two years worth of credits I had earned in MA, so I was not going to be able to get my high school diploma if I didn’t get everything transferred in Santa Barbara, CA (where my parents now live) and finish up over there.
Education has always been very important to me
It was super weird to not only be the new girl as a senior in high school, but also to be at a high school with people my age after having lived on my own for nearly two years. I went from living an adult life with a full time ballet schedule to using hall passes and debating on whether or not I should go to the prom!
it was weird to be at a high school after having lived on my own for two years
I definitely felt shy and weird about going in but I got through it and ended up signing with a boutique modeling agency in Los Angeles just around the time of graduation.
Modeling was a good way for me to be creative and stay in the entertainment community without having to live that super-taxing dancer lifestyle that any ballerina knows.
I love fashion so becoming a model felt very natural to me.
Having a Middle Eastern and European mix, I love my falafel but still need my scones! Haha. I am totally joking. I’m always cracking jokes; my friends would say that I am very bubbly while still being a total introvert and health geek. I am always the friend people come to for fitness advice, which I love because helping spread health and wellness makes me so happy.
helping spread health and wellness makes me so happy
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