Photo: MTV 

Tonight, ANTM finalist Angelea Preston is guest starring on the season premiere of MTV’s Made. The 25-year-old model and actress will appear as a “Made coach” helping a handful of Earl Warren High School student achieve their dreams of being crowned Homecoming King and Queen. We chatted with Angelea about what she was like in high school, how she deals with harsh winter weather and the even harsher modeling industry, and what beauty product she simply cannot live without. Check it out! ELLE Girl 

(EG): How did you get involved with Made? 

Angelea Preston (AP): The agency I was working with set up a casting call. I was a little nervous and I thought I was going for a wingwoman episode, but then I met with the casting director who told me they wanted me for a Homecoming King and Queen episode. I’d never been Homecoming Queen! They asked a lot about my high school experience and I got really excited and just kept thinking, ‘I hope I get this! I hope I get this!’ because I love working with kids and teens. Then they called me about a week later and gave me the part! 

EG: What was your high school experience like? 

AP: Very fun! Like I said, I wasn’t Homecoming Queen, I was actually kind of a nerd. I was really concerned about my grades and part of Italian Club and a peer education group, BART. I went to schools and talked to kids my own age about STDs and HIV and AIDS. I wanted to be a cheerleader, but I was nervous and kind of shy. I was very tall and very thin, and I felt like the most awkward person in school, I just felt out of place. 

EG: In a sneak peek for tonight’s episode, you spoke about not feeling confident in high school but that you eventually regained that confidence. How did you go about doing that? 

AP: Basically by gaining experience. As a teenager you’re worried about what everyone thinks, you want the nicest clothes and the nicest sneakers, and you worry about who has the nicest car. That’s just what you think about. As you get older, you become more of your own person and you think about the problems from high school and they don’t seem real—you think ‘why was I thinking about that boy, I have college courses to worry about and bills to pay!’ 

EG: What was it like to be figuratively “back in high school” while coaching? 

AP: It was so much fun! I felt like the new kid at school! It brought me back to being 16 and 17 and going to a new school for the first time and worrying if everyone would like me but I had so much fun. It felt great to be at a school that was so different from mine—they have a lot more freedom. They get to go out to lunch and eat outside and eat at restaurants! Everyone was also really welcoming, the staff at Earl Warren was welcoming and San Antonio was welcoming and the kids were great. I really miss them! We’re friends are on Facebook  and I’m going back in March for a festival called Fiesta. 

EG:You also said in the sneak peek that being “in charge” shouldn’t be the goal of someone running for Homecoming Queen and that conflict resolution and a positive attitude are important. Is that one way you approach life in general? 

AP: Absolutely. It’s very important to remember that if your peers can’t relate to you, if they can’t think of you as a friend and talk to you, if you play the role of HBIC, they’re going to look at you like you’re crazy. In the industry I’m in, you get told ‘no’ a lot and you have to not let negativity drag you down. 

EG: On the note of not letting negativity get to you, you didn’t make it into cycle 12 of ANTM, made it to the semi-finals in cycle 14, and were one of the three finalists in cycle 17. What would you say was your key to success? 

AP: My key was growth. In cycle 12, I was off the wall, I didn’t care and I didn’t even make it past the first episode. After cycle 12 and after I had actually watched myself on TV, I was like “wow, this is crazy.” Of course, there’s editing and a lot of things are cut but for the most part, there was a lot going on, both on and off screen, in my personal life and in my career and it was personal growth for me in life that helped me succeed. 

EG: You handled your disqualification from ANTM very gracefully. Do you have advice for people who hit major set backs?

AP: Keep going, just keep going. I loved my time on America’s Next Top Model, and I’m so grateful to the producers and to Tyra for giving me the chance to showcase my work in that way—and congratulations to Lisa, and I wish her success in all of her endeavors. You just have to keep going; no one can direct your destiny but you. People will tell you can’t do this, you’re too tall, too short, you need to lose fifteen pounds, you need to gain fifteen pounds. Everyone who has succeeded has endured negative criticism, but they’ve got something inside them that says ‘you can do it’ and they take every negative comment with a grain of salt. 

EG: Modeling is a cut-throat, highly demanding industry. How have you managed not to lose who you are and to stay true to yourself? 

AP: I always remember where I come from. I’m from Buffalo, NY, and I didn’t grow up rich. I didn’t grow up poor either, but my parents worked so hard to give me everything, and my goal and my motivation has been wanting something better for myself and my family. They also help keep me grounded. I’m living in New York City right now, taking acting classes and getting into acting, and it’s good to go home and see the people who genuinely love you for yourself and your friends who want your friendship for no other reason than genuinely enjoying your company, who knew you before you were on TV. They help me stay grounded and humble, especially my niece, Niesha, I love her so much. 

EG: You’re from Buffalo so you’re used to intense winters. What are your best tips for surviving winter weather? 

AP: Oh my God, I am used to the crazy snow. I just layer on a bunch of clothes. I’m in L.A. right now so I don’t have to deal with it but at home I just layer on the clothes: three or four sweaters, a big puffy coat, two pairs of socks. I’ve very thin too so it’s hard to stay warm. I just go completely overboard and bundle up. 

EG: Do you have a favorite celebrity you follow on Twitter? 

P: Let’s see…I love to follow 50 cent; I think he’s tweet are so funny. I follow about 500 people, about half are celebrities and half are fans so there’s always a lot on my dash, but I love 50 cent. 

EG: What about a favorite reality TV show? 

AP: Oh yeah, I watch tons of reality shows! I love The Real Housewives shows, there was a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills marathon on last night and I watched that, pretty much anything on Bravo. I love VH1 reality shows, love Mob Wives, T.I & Tiny, yeah I love reality T.V. 

EG: What is one beauty product you cannot live without? 

AP: Definitely facial cleanser. Because I wear so much makeup on shoots I need a really good cleanser and I have to wash my face everyday. I don’t like to use the same kind all the time because I don’t want my skin to get used to it but I would recommend Neutrogena Acne Wash. Whenever I  use it my skin clears up in like a week. Clean and Clear is also a great brand and Noxema has a regular cleansing cream which works well on my skin which is kind of sensitive but also oily.