Aoki Lee Simmons Had An Eventful Trip From Harvard University To NYFW

The journey to Fashion Week has been an eventful one for model Aoki Lee Simmons. From almost missing the train, a long train ride, forgetting essentials, and a casting emergency, it's been anything but smooth for the beauty.

But she's not letting any of that get her down. The Harvard University student is multi-tasking like a pro and gearing up to walk the runway during Fashion Week for the second year in a row.

In a series of Instagram stories, the 20-year-old model took her followers with her on the trip from school to New York City, starting with almost missing the train at 5:59 a.m.

Then once settled in for the long ride to the City, she opened up a forum for questions from her fans and followers posting, "Ask me anything! (On a long train ride). The questions started pouring in.

When asked who she's walking for in fashion week, the model responded, "I'm taking it easy this year because I have some very important classes to focus on so I can GET THAT DEGREE. But I might have a few special projects I couldn't miss."

She was also asked, "What are your majors? & would you've gone to a different school?" to which she replied, "Classics and Political Science...I was considering Oxford, Columbia (would have been better for modeling!) or Yale." She was also asked about having braces.

Then things got real for Simmons when she realized she left her toiletry bag at school.

"Y'all are gonna think I'm joking but I realized that I forgot all my toiletries, like I forgot the whole toiletry bag. I'm going to a casting right now. I found this mascara in my backpack. That's all I have. No skincare, no sunscreen, no haircare. So when casting directors say they want the natural look, come with no makeup, I hope they mean that."

Simmons has dealt with more than her share of criticism about pursuing her modeling career while attending Harvard. She has publicly defended her choices on more than one occasion on social media.

When a TikTok video comment asked why someone who is "articulate and obviously educated" would choose modeling, she calmly explained that it's time to normalize liking things and not always needing to do what you are "immediately good at."

"I really want us to move towards a future where young woman are not being asked this question. Like, you're not being asked, 'Why did you follow your more creative passion even though you're smart? Like I would like to change the idea that you can't be smart and pretty, or you can't be smart and enjoy your looks or enjoy a creative, beauty fashion-based career," she explained in the video. "You can be two kinds of people in one person."