Meet the Faces: 2016 Face of Foothills Winners

 
 
 

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Introducing 2016 Face of Foothills Winners: Junior and Teen honorees, Elise and Tristany, and the first-ever co-titleholders, Taylor and Sean.

Feature written by Taylor Seely and Abby Zufelt

Photograpahy by Werner Segarra. Assisted by Greacely Negron Lozada.

Styling, hair, and makeup by Diane Aiello. Assisted by Andrea Sanchez for Glam Lounge Artists.

Face of Foothills Winners represented by Ford/Robert Black Agency.

Location: The Clayton on the Park.

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FACE OF FOOTHILLS: SEAN STAHLNECKER

Instagram: @sean_stahlnecker

For a guy whose catchphrase is “living in paradise.” Sean Stahlnecker might seem like he’s got it all. And he does; after all, he’s a 23-year-old male model with washboard abs who considers “living a healthy lifestyle” a hobby. What most don’t know about Stahlnecker, though, is after dedicating 17 years of his life to a dream that ended traumatically and tragically, it’d be hard to deny he deserves his current bliss.

It was in Montana where Stahlnecker blew out his shoulder and lost all chances of becoming a professional hockey player. He kissed his D1 and D3 college offers goodbye and came home to Arizona clueless of what his future would hold. “[Hockey] instilled in me hard work and tenacity. I learned a lot as a man and as part of a team,” he says. “I flew back home [and] was kind of lost.” It wasn’t until his sister brought him with her to an open call for the Ford/Robert Black Agency that he was discovered and his modeling career took off. Today, he has worked for companies like Dillard’s, Vemma, Antigua and more and says his injury was a blessing in disguise.

Traveling constantly between Los Angeles and his home in Peoria to model, Stahlnecker still makes time to study business management and marketing at Rio Salado College, and in five years wants to have booked a modeling campaign and opened his own beverage company. –T.S.

FAVORITE LOCAL FOOD SPOT: Definitely Spinato’s.

FAVORITE COMFORT FOOD: Cookies and ice cream.

BEST WAY TO DE-STRESS: Gym or running.

FAVORITE CLOTHING BRAND: Abercrombie probably or maybe Calvin Klein.

FAVORITE MOVIE: “Hitch” with Will Smith. It’s an amazing movie.

WHEN WILL YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A SUCCESSFUL MODEL: When I have a campaign.

HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED: I want to make a difference in this world. Any positive difference.

ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE YOURSELF: Complicated, quirky or sarcastic.


 

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FACE OF FOOTHILLS: TAYLOR MULHOLLAND

Instagram: @TaylorMvlholland

Taylor Mulholland is unpredictable and hard to read—even for a 19-year-old—yet undeniably balanced. She endures 80 minutes of soggy hot yoga and can hike a mountain like nobody’s business, but she also lounges couch-potato-style watching “Saturday Night Live” marathons. She has graced the Phoenix Fashion Week runway draped in couture but will still walk her obese Australian Sheppard barefoot and ferment her own Kombucha. “It’s good for your gut health!” she says.

Mulholland is an avid self-love promoter and values the ability to say “no” when her mind and body want a break, but she’s also the type to persevere and accomplish her goals.

When she was rejected from her current modeling agency two years ago for improper measurements, it only took her two months to shape up and get signed. “I like being challenged,” she says. “I don’t like to prove people wrong, but I like to prove that I can do it.” Winning the Face of Foothills competition, she says, is just one more “confirmation [that] with perseverance, you can do it.”

While she knows she’s worked relentlessly to get where she is, she repeatedly thanks her family, God and her Christian faith for the support and guidance she has received. In the coming years, Mulholland plans to take that positivity into the acting world and book modeling gigs that allow her to travel. –Taylor Seely

FAVORITE LOCAL FOOD SPOT: Pomegranate Café in Chandler. It’s 100 percent vegan, organic and raw.

GO-TO COMFORT FOOD OR CRAVING: Coconut milk ice cream.

FAVORITE MAKEUP BRAND: Tata Harper. They have an awesome face mask that makes my skin feel baby-butt smooth.

MODEL ICON: Cara Delevingne. She’s just so crazy and wild; I love that about her.

HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED: Being silly and weird and a giant hippie. Being gentle and caring to the environment. Fun and quirky.

ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE YOURSELF: Crazy. Everyone calls me crazy and, honestly, I accept it.


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TEEN FACE OF FOOTHILLS: TRISTANY HIGHTOWER

Instagram: @Tristany_Hightower

Since she was a little girl, Tristany Hightower, 16, the 2016 Teen Face of Foothills winner, has enjoyed the fast-paced world of modeling. When Hightower entered into the Face of Foothills contest, she recruited help on social media to get votes. “We just shared it all over social media...continually posting on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. I got my cheer team involved, and they voted for me, so it was really fun,” she says.

Hightower moved from Grand Junction, Colo., to Scottsdale almost two years ago. Along with cheerleading, she takes all honors and AP classes and is a member of service-oriented organizations, National Honor Society and Interact Club.

She also has a love of the pageant world and has been participating in pageants since childhood. She proudly represents the state as Miss Arizona Teen USA 2016. As a lover of community service, Hightower looks forward to the volunteer opportunities this new title will give her.

As for her future career plans, Hightower thinks it would be fun to take a year off after graduating high school to pursue modeling full-time overseas. For right now, Hightower is enjoying modeling and is excited to be the Teen Face of Foothills winner. “I still can’t believe I won. I’m just so excited for all the opportunities it’s going to bring,” she says. –A.Z.

FAVORITE TV SHOW: “Criminal Minds.”

PETS: Two dogs, Rocko (pit bull) and Cupid (maltipoo).

FAVORITE DESIGNER: Tory Burch.

BIGGEST INSPIRATION: Delaney, longtime friend fighting cancer at 13-years-old.

DREAM VACATION: Bora Bora.

FAVORITE PLACES TO SHOP: Victoria’s Secret, Forever 21 and Nordstrom.


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JUNIOR FACE OF FOOTHILLS: ELISE WRIGHT

Instagram: @Ekwright927

Gilbert native, Elise Wright, 12, was beyond excited to find out she was the 2016 Junior Face of Foothills winner. “I didn’t really think I was going to win...It was kind of a surprise to me because there’s so many other chances of other people that could’ve won,” she says.

Wright modeled as a small child but took a break from it for a few years. She got back into it as an 8-year-old after walking in a runway show and has loved it since. “I like the runway, and I like being in front of the camera.”

Wright’s family and friends played a huge role in the voting process for Face of Foothills. “I had a lot of help, and I’m really grateful for that,” Wright says. Now that the voting is over, she is looking forward to getting to know the other winners.

“Modeling would definitely be a fun thing to do as a career,” she says. But Wright has some other ideas for the future, too. “I do volleyball, I do violin, I have a lot of hobbies and things like that could be fun to do, too,” she says. She also thinks pursuing a career in photography would be fun. –Abby Zufelt

FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL: Science.

SPECIAL TALENT: Singing.

FAVORITE RESTAURANT: Joe’s Farm Grill.

FAVORITE TV SHOW: “New Girl.”

DREAM TRAVEL SPOT: All of Europe.

FAVORITE MOVIE: “Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2.”

FAVORITE SINGER: Michael Jackson.