My Senior VIP experience is going to be a lot more than just photos… Being a Dakota Hersey senior is being part of a community that supports and encourages each other (and gaining one of your biggest hype girls!!!). I can’t wait to meet our next class and help build relationships that will last far beyond high school.

But I don’t want you to just hear that from me…so Caroline is taking over today! She is one of my 2021 Senior Spokesmodels and you are going to love her!

Tell us a little about yourself!!!

My name is Caroline Smith and I will be graduating from Eastern Wayne this year. I am captain of the Women’s Varsity Soccer Team, I’m in Key Club, National Honor Society, Student2Student, and Student Government. I love hanging out with friends, going on road trips, and being physically active and outdoors. I will be attending UNC Chapel Hill this fall and my current plan is to major in biology and become a dentist. My friends would probably describe me as outgoing and driven. Whenever I set my mind to something I really go after it with all I’ve got.

If someone was trying to decide if they should get senior photos or not, what would you tell them?

I would say absolutely 100% you ought to. Although graduating high school will probably not be the MOST important milestone in your life I believe that it symbolizes a lot. It really is the turning point where you go from being a teenager figuring themselves out to starting to become a young adult striving to make it happen. You will want to look back at this time of your life and photos are the perfect way to do just that.

What should you look for in your senior photographer?

I personally would look for someone that makes you feel 100% yourself and comfortable in front of a camera. You want your senior photos to be unique and showcase who you truly are.

What hesitations or concerns did you have before booking your senior session?

All of us struggle with confidence sometimes but this past year I have really figured out who I am and have become comfortable in my own skin. I did not want to be nervous for my session or have to worry about how I look 24/7. I wanted to make sure that I chose a photographer I knew I would be able to have a relationship with so that it did not seem like such a formal and rigid experience.

Because I had already met Dakota and formed a connection with her before my personal session through the spokesmodel program I knew that for my session I had nothing to worry about. I was able to put my full trust in Dakota and the whole process was truly stress free.

What did you do to prep for your session?

To prep for my session I really just bounced my ideas off of Dakota and she was able to create a game plan based off of what ideas I came up with. I had full faith that what I had in my head Dakota would make reality and that is exactly what happened. She even helped me pick out outfits, it was truly a collaborative effort!!

What was it like being a #DakotaHerseySenior?

My experience being a Dakota Hersey Senior has truly been the highlight of my year. With COVID, I think that many of us did not expect much for our senior year but Dakota was the one constant that we could always count on. Being part of the team was a great experience for me, I was able to reconnect with girls that I had not been close to for years and really build those friendships as well as make new ones.

I looked forward to every event that we had together and knew I could count on those girls to put me in a good mood. My individual session with Dakota was very personalized and special. From the first time we met it has always seemed like Dakota was just a best friend that hypes you up and keeps you laughing the whole time. There were never any awkward or tense moments and I always felt at ease around her.

What was your favorite memory from being a Dakota Hersey Senior?

My favorite memory was probably taking photos on top of a tractor. I love the way that Dakota made it fun and joked around with us at every event and was able to not take everything seriously. It reinforced to me that being a Dakota Hersey Senior is not a transactional relationship whatsoever. She really does want to get to know you and be your friend.

What are you looking forward to next year?

I am genuinely so excited for next year that I don’t know that there are words to really express it. I have looked forward to going to college for as long as I can remember and the idea of it being just around the corner is so so crazy to me.

I am probably most looking forward to meeting a ton of new people and making friends with people that I would not have been able to meet otherwise. My experience being a Dakota Hersey Spokesmodel has in a way prepped me for this because I was able to meet so many girls that I would not have if I was not a part of this team.

What advice do you have to give to the rising seniors?

My biggest piece of advice is to make the most out of your senior year. Although my class did not get the most “normal” experience we found other ways to have fun, such as becoming Dakota Hersey Spokesmodels.

I know that if I had not chosen to be a part of this group I would not have enjoyed my senior year half as much, not only because I have beautiful photos, but because I have an amazing group of friends that would not exist without this program. So, in other words, my advice is, BECOME A DAKOTA HERSEY VIP MEMBER!!!