Howard University Student Teron M. Jones Is Helping Redefine Collegiate Modeling Through Howard University Models Inc.

When Howard University Models Inc. opened its most recent audition, more than 120 students came out for it. Over 80 of them were selected to develop across creative and production disciplines.

The student organization, known as HUMI, is just over a year old. Teron Jones founded it on July 17, 2025, during his junior year at Howard University, and he serves as its charter founder and president. According to the group, HUMI was created to fill a gap in Howard’s creative community by helping students be seen, develop their gifts, and access the arts, entertainment, and entrepreneurship.

HUMI carries a lineage that started nearly two decades before Jones arrived on campus. Models Inc. was founded on March 2, 2006, in Washington, D.C., by Iran “Bang” Paylor as a performing arts organization, and it later expanded by establishing collegiate chapters at universities across the area. Howard University Models Inc. is one of those chapters, alongside Towson University Models Inc., Bowie State Models Inc., and University of the District of Columbia Models Inc. Jones established the Howard chapter as an extension of that larger organization, according to information provided by the organization.

“When I founded HUMI, my goal was to fill a gap I recognized within Howard’s creative community. I wanted to build a structure where Howard students could be seen, gain access to meaningful opportunities, and grow in an environment that felt comfortable, empowering, and rooted in family and belonging,” Jones said in a press release. “HUMI is about developing the next generation of leaders, innovators, and Yard runners who will continue shaping culture at Howard and beyond.”

HUMI is built around six pillars: modeling, dance, music, acting, visual art, and entrepreneurship. Students train, perform, lead, and collaborate across all six.

That structure came to life this year through LEGACY, HUMI’s inaugural showcase at Cramton Auditorium. The production featured more than 10 scenes and more than 10 designers, including student designers from inside the organization, and pulled together fashion, movement, storytelling, and Black creative expression. According to the release, LEGACY earned coverage from Essence, The Dig, and The Hilltop.

The doors HUMI has opened for its members extend well past campus. Members have performed for Cécred, appeared in BET+ programming, and collaborated with AMBI skincare. The organization has also connected students to The Zeus Network and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, per their press release.

On campus, HUMI functions as a bridge. The organization has worked with Greek life, the Office of Intercultural Affairs, UGSA, HUSA, campaign teams, fellow modeling organizations, and other student groups. Its service work includes a campus cleanup with Garnier, partnerships with Martha’s Table and Bread for the City, participation in Howard University’s Day of Service, and District Cleanups.

“In this role, leadership was never just about holding a title. It was about how you pour into the people you lead, how you give back to your community, how you create opportunities for others, and how you help place people in rooms that can change their lives,” said Natayia Johnson, vice president of HUMI, in the release. “We have given students the space to lead, create, inspire one another, and recognize the power within themselves.”

In a single year, HUMI has grown into a creative family, a leadership pipeline, a service organization, and a platform where student talent turns into purpose. That is the kind of work Howard University has been producing for generations, and Jones and his members are carrying it forward on their own terms.

To keep up with them, the organization can be found on Instagram at @HowardUModelsInc, and Jones can be found at @Ofiicial.Ron_.

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