News Release

Taking inspiration from a popular TV show to raise money for worldwide victims of human trafficking, 26 Johns Hopkins undergraduates will put cramming for finals on hold Tuesday night to compete in the university's second annual "Top Model" competition, with all proceeds from ticket sales and donations designated to the Emancipation Network, www.emancipationnetwork.org/.

The event will pit Johns Hopkins students from sororities, fraternities, sports teams, service organizations and arts groups against one another for the coveted Hopkins Top Model title. Photos of the contestants are online at http://the.jhu.edu/vx/topModel.html. Contestants are vying for a glamour photo shoot estimated at $3,000.

The event is organized by the student group VisionXchange, a service and international relief organization on the Homewood campus. The group says its goal is "to raise a lot of money for good causes while having an awesome time as well." The inaugural Hopkins Top Model event in December 2005 raised more than $4,000 in student donations to support relief efforts after a devastating earthquake in Pakistan. (A Johns Hopkins Gazette story about last year's event is online at www.jhu.edu/~gazette/2005/19dec05/19model.html.) Since then, VisionXchange has hosted several other fun, stunt-based events to raise money for charity, including "Shots for Shots," a basketball-themed fund-raiser pitting students against professors to benefit the Measles Initiative in March; and an attempt in April to set a new benchmark in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most couples on a simultaneous blind date.

To reach students organizing this event, contact senior Nabiha Syed at 714-200-3983 or nabiha@jhu.edu. Media wishing to cover the contest should contact Amy Lunday at 443-287-9960.