16-year-old Megan Collins of Baton Rouge has won the 5th annual ‘So You Want to Be a Model‘ competition. Megan won the contest after being urged to submit to the contest by her Baton Rouge agent Ron Randell of Stage 2000.

New York Model Management along with CosmoGIRL magazine put the annual contest on. Over 20,000 girls submitted their photos and resumes to the modeling contest.

“It’s shocking. I’m still soaking it all up. It’s unreal,� said Collins, just before heading off Tuesday to a 3 p.m. casting call at a New York-based fashion magazine.

Seventeen and Elle Magazine were among two other stops, followed by a private runway lesson Wednesday.

“I’ve learned a lot more about the industry and how crazy and unpredictable it is,� Collins said.

“In my photo albums, I’d always be putting on makeup or designing an outfit or putting together different things,� Collins said.

Megan like almost every big time model you see on a billboard in a magazine got their start somewhere that is often overlooked. That is with a mother agent….or in other words a small local modeling agency that helped groom and teach the tricks of the trade to the model before feeding them to a big time New York or Los Angeles agency.

Ron discovered myself and helped launch my modeling career that made me an international model and led me to being in the pages of Cosmopolitan magazine twice and appearances on ‘Good Morning America’ and ‘Fox and Friends’ among other things.

He also discovered Alan Jouban who was featured on Bumpshack earlier this year.

Official Stage 2000 Modeling and Talent website

Photos: Stage 2000