What’s in a name? You can discern many things from what a person’s name is. You have the reverence and nonviolence of a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; a fiery bravado with unique insight – like you do with Tupac Shakur. You can even – No matter what you say or think, a person’s legacy is crafted around their name and for, Briana Loyd, there is no exception.

A beauty to behold with jaw-dropping features, Ms. Loyd – an army brat who’s seen more than your average local girl – could give any man or woman a run for their money in the hustle department. A strict go-getter, as well as, a student on the campus of The University of Houston – Ms. Loyd urges everyone to realize that it’s not just the body; it’s the brains that matters, too.

As Ms. Briana, formerly known as “Bri Da Body,” sits with Beauty & Brains – she discusses her love of modeling and education, why Chris Brown wouldn’t win her heart and sends a shout-out to the girls fakin’ the funk in this very section!

Beauty & Brains: People don’t really care if you’re smart, just as long as you show ‘em the goods. Does that offend you as your try to make moves for your ultimate career? Or could you care less?
Briana Loyd: Most magazines and most photographers try to feel you out on your personality before they work with you. If you show any sign of weakness, they’ll take advantage of that and try and use you. It offends me that people are just looking at you for only one thing. I want to be accepted. I grew up as an army brat. I moved out here to Houston to go to school. Growing up, I was sheltered, but I wasn’t naïve. I know that I am a well-rounded woman and my personality reflects that. I am a chameleon.

B&B: Can a spoiled brat get everything she wants out of a fly-by-night business such as modeling?
BL: You have to work for it. It’s tough out there. It’s just not going to be given to you. There are so many girls that want to model and so many beautiful girls who are nice and all that, but you have to be competitive. You have to keep everything nice and tight. I go to the gym all the time.

B&B: One of your nicknames is “Bri Da Body.” How’d you get that?
BL: [Laughs] It was just something that my photographer was playing around with it. He submitted some pictures into Source Magazine and it still had that tagline. Well, after some time passed, it got into the magazine and it had that nickname as the heading. Ever since then, people have been saying that… But no… [laughs]… that’s not my alias. My nickname is just “Bri.” Now, there are so many “Bri’s” out there that I have just been going with my full name – Briana Loyd.

B&B: What is it about modeling and learning that entice you so much?
BL: I love to learn. Actually, my main goal is to become a PhD holder in the field of Psychology. I love learning. I make A’s in my schoolwork. I like modeling because it’s fun. You know how guys like to play basketball…? Well, that’s how I am with photo shoots. It’s a life lesson. It teaches you a lot. I have learned a lot about life and how people are manipulative by being in this business. You can really figure it out, but you have to pay attention. You really have to feel out people to see if they’re on the same page as you are. The game is so competitive that girls don’t want to see other ladies shine, unless they naturally have a good heart.

B&B: Who could you see as two men who are the embodiment of the things that entice you?
BL: [Laughs] That’s funny. He plays basketball. He’s going to kill me. Chris Douglas-Roberts. He plays for the University of Memphis basketball team. The other guy would have to be… Chris Brown.

B&B: Do those things take up the place of you being single?
BL: No. Not really. I would say that my schoolwork does. I go to the University of Houston and I go there full-time. I also have a full-time job and all that together takes up a lot of space. But still… honestly… at nighttime, you get lonely. I have a love in my life, though.

B&B: What’s his name?
BL: His name is Snickers. He’s a Yorkie.

B&B: So, if you had a choice of the two men to be in a relationship with, who would you choose and why?
BL: Of course, Chris Douglas-Roberts! He’s real sweet and nice.

B&B: Out of all the things that you’ve been in – what was your most worthwhile experience?
BL: Just getting accepted to school. A lot of people drop out of school; especially with all the drama that you have to go through. When I start modeling and I go to school, that created an opportunity for me with my education and a creative outlet. I don’t know how other girls act, but I know a lot of them and all they talk about is modeling. Everywhere I go they ask about modeling. It doesn’t make sense to me. They want to talk about modeling and I’m talking about final exams! I’m not doing any modeling when it comes down to my education. More people are at my school and want to know what I’m doing and how I’m doing it. For some reason, they even thought I dropped out of school. I used to go to the college parties, but once you start modeling, I get paid to go them. So, I would only go to the parties that were paying me to attend.

B&B: Have you ever made anyone go to the hospital?
BL: No. I have never made anyone go to the hospital. People have gotten into altercations and I have had a lot of beefs started. I had the weirdest thing where two of my Myspace friends who I haven’t met, but were cool with me ended up getting into it. One guy said that he was going to kill the guys in my Top 8. He knew where the guy lived; he knew a lot of things about him. The other guy would forward the messages to me and I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked to hear that they actually had met up and there was a shoot-out and a fight broke out. The one guy wrote me back to say that he “handled” my friend, but I didn’t know either one of them fools and that’s now the reason why I have a Top 8 on my Myspace page. I have had guys write me hate mail. It’s just crazy.

B&B: So, how risky would it be for your boyfriend? He won’t end up in a hospital or nothin’ like that, will he?
BL: No. But I would make sure that I get with a street credible boyfriend. I had a boyfriend about six, seven months ago. He was very judgmental about modeling and he dated a lot of models who were established, but would judge me for the pictures that I would take. He used to tell me that he didn’t trip about them because he didn’t care about them. He cared about me so much because I was his girl and the pictures made him mad. So, after awhile, that relationship ended and I’ve been single ever since.

B&B: What’s next for you?
BL: I’m working on getting into Smooth Magazine and I’m working with this fashion editor for Titanium Girls. They’re supposed to have a lot planned for me. I need to finish up this semester. My grades are good. I would go to Summer school to build up my required credits. I’m trying to graduate from college early.

B&B: Being that this is an election year – why should our readers vote for you for our upcoming contest?
BL: I’m the total package. I’m not one of these girls who are out here who are pretending to be in school. I’ve read up on this section and a few girls who said that they go to the University of Houston, don’t really go there. I’m showing people that it’s more than just a body that can get the attention. I am intelligence and beauty, all in one!

Think that Briana Loyd is someone right up your alley? Be sure to check her out on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/bzloydwill