“Our personality will bring us to greater heights.” This is what Abbygale Arenas-de Leon constantly reminds the students of Personi-fi Image Studio Inc., an image enhancement and personality development company, which she owns and runs.
Arenas, a former beauty queen and model, established Personi-fi in 2007 for aspiring models, as well as individuals who wish to boost their confidence through a series of classes that involve both lectures and practical instructions.
For the past four years, she observed that the common obstacle her students need to overcome is the hesitation to let their real personalities shine through. It’s either they are too shy and insecure, or they try to be like someone else. Over time, she is able to convince them that individuality will get them through the doors of their goals.
The teachers
To continuously help groups and individuals develop and enhance their images and personalities, Personi-fi offers five in-house classes to be facilitated by a topnotch team of experts.
The trainers are comprised of three seasoned Filipina supermodels, including Arenas herself, together with Marina Benipayo and former The Manila Times columnist Patty Betita. She has also enlisted the talents of Dino Santos, a distinguished toastmaster, and Joanna Salita, a professional make-up artist specializing in airbrush make-up to be Pesoni-fi’s senior beauty specialist.
The classes
Benipayo, who has been in the modeling industry for three decades now, shared at a press conference on March 10, that today’s models have different ethics compared to her earlier years. She addresses this concern in her class, “The Art of Modeling,” which offers an advanced syllabus integrating ethics in modeling.
“There has never been a comprehensive instruction on how models should behave [and] what kind of respect they should give to photographers and stylists,” she elaborated. Her goal in her class is to make sure that aspiring models leave her at the end of the course with the right attitude and qualities to stand out from among the competition. She assured she will give sure-fire lessons, which she herself gained from her own experiences in the industry.
Betita, meanwhile, is in charge of “Personality Development for Teens.” Long a teacher of introverted teens, she shared that it brings her much fulfillment when parents approach her and thank her for helping their children come out of their shell. She is able to do so with a lesson plan that covers teen etiquette, good grooming, skincare and social graces.
Finally, Santos will teach “Confident Conversational Skills,” while Salita will take care of “Personal Hair and Make Up” lessons.
“It’s not enough to be presentable, to be handsome [and] to be gorgeous. We also have to be communicative,” Santos related. He assured that at the end of his class, his students will be able to talk to new acquaintances and carry a conversation in any kind of setting.
Salita, meanwhile, will teach her students to do hair and make-up in just 10 minutes.
The results
Arenas, who has been an image expert for 13 years, explained that the role of Personi-fi is to, “put consciousness and awareness in the importance a person’s image in achieving his goals and dreams.”
She teaches a class called the “Power of First Impression,” which holds that first impressions are made in the first six to eight seconds of meeting another individual.
“You might be beautiful inside. You might have a good heart. You might have a good brain. That’s all OK. But the thing is you have to show it. That is the very reason, I gathered these five people together because they will bring out the best in everyone.”
Personi-fi’s classes begin on April 2 at the Personi-fi Image Studio, Barangay Bel-Air, Makati City. For more information, log on to www.personifi.com or call the 890-8062 or (0999) 731-9613.
Article first published for The Manila Times.
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