JAY — Nineteen-year-old Hailey Chaney has big dreams and is well on her way to achieving them. She wants to inspire people, especially those from small towns, to dream big.

Modeling is Chaney’s true passion and she believes herself fortunate to have the opportunity to chase her dreams.

The 2014 graduate of Spruce Mountain High School is representing Maine in her quest to be the 2015 Miss “Jetset Magazine” cover model. The winner will be determined by public voting that can be done in a number of ways at https://miss.jetsetmag.com/vote-for/hailey-chaney.

People can log on to the site and click on Facebook or Twitter and cast one vote on each site every 24 hours for free. People interested in purchasing votes can do that as well for $1 a piece, said Chaney’s mother, Nancy Chaney of Jay.

She was excited to learn when she checked with magazine representatives prior to moving to California in September that she could still represent the state where she was born. She moved to the West Coast to pursue a larger-scale career in modeling and acting.

“I am really proud to represent Maine,” Chaney said.

The contest’s round for top 10 candidates ended Friday. She is in fifth place overall. Next week, voting will be done for the top five candidates followed by voting for the finalist that ends at 2 a.m. Eastern time on Dec. 11.

Chaney has been a model for two years and is working three jobs to support herself.

“I would really like to win because I feel really passionate about raising suicide awareness,” she said. If she wins, she would use the $50,000 cash prize to do something to raise suicide awareness and she would put some of the earnings into the Wounded Warrior Project.

She has lost two friends who suffered from depression, and she has seen her older sisters grieve over the loss of their friends.

In addition to the cash prize, there is also $50,000 in undisclosed prizes, Nancy Chaney said.

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to become a model,” Hailey said. “One day, my mom and I sat down and just Googled agencies in Boston, and I sent my (information) to one called Open Call Models and Talent, which signed me a couple of weeks later. Ever since, my career has taken off pretty well.”

She signed with Portland Models and Talent in Portland, Maine, and with Donahue Models and Talent in Providence, R.I.

“I’ve been traveling a lot,” she said.

She has been to Paris and Los Angeles and to New York City many times for New York Fashion Week.

Hailey is now represented by The Bella Agency in Los Angeles and has just started going on auditions for them, her mother said.

“My mother takes a huge part in my career,” Hailey said. “Without her, I wouldn’t be where I am.”

Hailey’s favorite part of modeling is the runway. She loves the catwalk.

Among her goals are “to inspire people everywhere, especially those from small towns, to dream big. Someday, I would love to run my own animal shelter or even a zoo,” Chaney said.

Her mother said she is “incredibly proud” of Hailey.

“She works so hard,” she said. “I miss her so much.”

dperry@sunmediagroup.net