Solenn dishes on her student days

CEBU, Philippines - Another school year had just begun and to those who’ve “been there and done that,” they’re either relieved to be free of the academic shackles or nostalgic of their good ol’ student days.  Multi-hyphenate celebrity Solenn Heussaff was in a back-to-school reminiscing mode when we recently caught up with her during Ipanema’s Summer Sunscream event at Portofino beach resort in Mactan.

“I was an average student. I did my assignment, but almost always at the last minute. Of course, I wanted to do my best in everything but I was the type that whatever happens, happens. I did study hard, but if I failed, that didn’t depress me. I just had to try better the next time,” the actress-model-host revealed.

Half-French Solenn finished high school at Eurocampus, a French-German institution, which has since been renamed the European International School of Manila. It had a small population, said Solenn, which was why JS Prom, Intramurals, school dances, clubs and even a student council were non-existent during her time.

When it came to academics, Solenn’s creative inclinations manifested early on. “Art was my favorite subject. After that would be Sports. I loved English and History classes. I also enjoyed Math, but I wouldn’t say I was the best at it. On the other hand, I hated Philosophy because even if it was interesting, I was very bad at explaining proverbs from certain philosophers. Now, the older I get, the more interesting it has become for me.”

Her top choice doesn’t come as a surprise, since Solenn was exposed to the arts as early as three years old and spent a good amount of time in culture-rich European countries during her growing up years. The passion for arts also most definitely runs in the blood: her Pinay mom hails from a clan of sculptors while everyone in her French dad’s family are painters.

Were her folks the type who pressured Solenn and her two siblings to get high grades? “My parents are very cool,” she replied. “They just want us to be good. If we did something bad, we would be grounded, which is normal. That time, I was like, ‘What the hell?’ But I now understand why they did that.”

She was behaved enough to never had been summoned into the headmaster’s office, but recalled a bit of mischief she did back in elementary.

“I was always in the front row, always listening to the teacher. I’ve never been bad in school, except when I was super young, I locked up this boy in the toilet,” shared the “Taste Buddies” and “Fashbook” host with a chuckle.

Seemingly a portent of her many sexy billboards and magazine covers in the present time, Solenn’s teachers were “a bit concerned” this one instance when she was dolled up in a costume too risqué for her young age.

She recalled, “At the end of the year, you get to perform whatever you want and I prepared a Moulin Rouge dance with my friends. The dance was normal since I’m not a good dancer, but our outfits were fishnets and stuff, and I was 14 then. That was the closest to the naughtiest thing I did in school.”

When it came to her campus fashion (Eurocampus didn’t require a uniform), Solenn said she “was always in Tazmania t-shirts or loose tops, skirts and flats.”

After graduation, Solenn studied fashion design in Studio Berçot, Paris for three years. Next, she took a six-month course in basic beauty and fashion make-up, body painting, and prosthetics at Ecole Fleurimont, still in Paris. Her last stop for further studies was at the Make Up Forever Academy, informally known as the Harvard of the make-up industry.

Upon her return to the Philippines, Solenn immediately made good use of her learnings and skills by working as a fashion designer, stylist and professional make-up artist, among other career pursuits. She also dabbles in painting as a hobby. The showbiz bug eventually bit her, and TV host, actress, singer, sought-after model and endorser were added into the merry mix of hats the stunner wears and efficiently juggles.

Now 27 years old with the world as her playground, what would she tell students uninspired to hit the books and who have yet to make the most of their school life? “Have fun. Reinvent yourself every year so that you’ll feel more inspired to learn new things. My favorite thing was coming back after every summer break with a different look. From the skater look, to the gothic look — I’ve been through that. This is the time to experiment. At the same time, study hard even if you don’t like hearing that from your parents. When you grow older, you’ll look back and you’ll realize that you should have listened to them.” (FREEMAN)