Meet Alina Bairova, the student and model living the best of both worlds.
Among the Humber Polytechnic community, there are some special students making the most of their post-secondary journey. In a competitive city like Toronto, it can be challenging to break through the barriers and enter your desired industry. However, Alina Bairova was able to look beyond the horizon and push herself to build the career she always wanted.
Bairova is the representation of commitment and passion in the pursuit of one’s dreams. Originally from Kazakhstan, she arrived in Canada in August 2021 to start her bachelor’s degree in digital business management.
In the beginning, Bairova says she had a difficult time adjusting to a new country as an international student.
“The first year was kind of tough because COVID was still in place, and finding friends was really hard,” Bairova recalls. As time went by, everything became easier for her to navigate, and she adapted to her new environment.
One of the things that helped her cope with the newness of Canada and loneliness was expanding her support system and finding friends with the same mindset. Reflecting on her time at Humber, she mentions that the best part has been meeting valuable friends from different backgrounds.
“Switching focus from missing home to work, classes and friends completely changes your perspective.”
Alina Bairova
Humber also offered Bairova a program she is passionate about.
Initially, she chose digital business management as her career path because she wanted to study something business-related that would combine administration and creativity. Now, she says she likes the program, considering “it’s everything at the same time” and opens a broader selection of possible jobs in marketing.
Surprisingly, Bairova was first interested in film production but encountered digital business to be somehow connected with film in the creation and direction of ads, which is a role she would like to pursue after graduating.
In between her busy schedule, Bairova has found time to participate in on-campus activities. She combined volleyball extramural and her modelling passion by appearing on the cover of INFUSE Magazine, Humber’s student-run fashion magazine. The INFUSE 2024 September issue featured Bairova at the center of the magazine, as well as across many pages, where she showcased her talent as a model.
Now, getting into the juicy stuff — her modelling career!
Bairova began modelling in November 2022, thanks to a friend already in the industry, motivating her to pursue modelling together. Her first role was as a background actress in a Nicholas Cage movie. She shared that her dad was in awe of this incredible opportunity, which set the standard for how promising and surprising modelling could be.
After landing a couple of modelling jobs, she began receiving invitations to model from people in the industry who liked her work. Bairova explains that she has gotten most of her jobs through connections, including her internship this past summer as a digital marketing intern.
“The more people I knew, the more invitations for shoots I had. The key to being known in the fashion industry, as in any other, is to network,” Bairova said.
In the past two years, Bairova has gained experience in every modelling style, from photoshoots and runways to commercial modelling.
Some highlights of her career include modelling several times for Toronto’s fashion week, Fashion Art Toronto (FAT). There, she had the chance to model for the bridal brand Nary Aref in the Fall/Winter ’23 season. She not only impressed everyone with her first appearance at Toronto’s premier event but also looked like a real-life princess.
Also, at Fashion Art Toronto, she joined designer Tran Thien Khanh twice, first for the Spring/Summer ’24 fashion week season and then for a one-of-a-kind fashion show by the brand, set in the ROM Toronto Gallery of Chinese Architecture.
Following these runway shows, Bairova was part of the Saks Fifth Avenue fashion show in collaboration with Range Rover, fulfilling a significant achievement by walking for one of the most reputed luxury fashion brands.
Finally, one of the projects the model enjoyed most was a commercial photoshoot for the food company Matilde Vicenzi. Bairova loved working with a big production team, which boosted her energy and confidence.
You might be wondering: How does she do it all at the same time? Her answer is through constant effort and learning to be flexible with her schedule. Like anyone, Bairova also gets exhausted with such an excruciating agenda. However, she has managed to adjust to it and is grateful for every opportunity that comes her way.
“Hard work pays off.”
Alina Bairova
She says that even though it can be demanding, balancing modelling and studying gives her “unique and profitable experiences that can help her in the future.” She practices good time management and organizing her schedule by prioritizing important tasks and deadlines. As an example, during shoots, if she has any free time, she uses it to work on assignments.
“It is hard to change from an academic to a creative focus; you need a lot of mental discipline and focus,” Bairova added. She mentions that this fluctuating schedule has taught her to adapt quickly to different places and environments, a skill that is also helpful in business.
So, what’s next for Bairova?
As a final-year student, she is ready to get her degree and start a new journey. Like any graduate, she feels both scared of the future and sad about leaving her post-secondary days behind. However, she is very excited about what might happen after and the opportunity to gain new experiences.
After graduation, she plans to maintain her “double life” by working in the marketing industry and continuing her modeling career.
From personal experience working with Bairova, I can say she has a very bright future and her talent is noticed everywhere she goes!
Check out Bairova and her modelling work on her Instagram account @bairova__a.
Feature image courtesy of Alina Bairova.
Want to learn about another student who’s totally killing it? Dive into varsity athlete Gabriel Mendes’s story!
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