Even though she is following her true calling, Ruland says that she has hopes of continuing to model whenever time permits and opportunities present themselves.
"I would still like to model when I'm on leave or I have days off," she says. "I get 30 days a year for leave, plus I'm hoping to have some opportunities when I'm on break, depending on the cities that I'm in."
She says that she'll miss fashion work the most while she's away serving her country.
"They are definitely more exciting," she says of the runway experience. "Regular shoots get boring. Fashion shows you are going, going, going. You're changing outfits. There's more adrenaline to it. Fashion shows are definitely better."
Ruland explains that one of the most challenging parts of being a model is dealing with the stereotypes out there. It's one reason why she wanted to do something more in her life.
"That's one thing that bothers me," she says. "When you're working some of these conventions, people talk to you like you're stupid because you're a model. I just get so aggravated. They'll be like, 'Yeah, what are you doing with your life?' And I'll go, 'Well, actually I leave in two weeks for the Army for military intelligence.' I love watching their faces when I say that!"
Ruland is also quick to point out that she's realistic.
"I never considered it to be a career," she says of modeling. "I never thought it would go anywhere. Look, how many models actually make it? There's thousands and thousands of people out there trying."
Part of the problem, she admits, is living in Florida, where the opportunities are not as great as Los Angeles or New York. She admits that she's daydreamed in the past about her life had she been raised elsewhere.
"Everybody says, 'Come out here, it would work just fine,' " she says. "I've considered it, but I second-guess myself. What if it didn't work you know? Maybe if I lived in New York or Los Angeles, I'd have a different outlook."
These days, it seems fighting those whispers in her ear are one of her biggest challenges as she prepares for her five-year term.
Says Ruland: "All my photographers and everybody is saying, 'What are you doing, why are you doing this?' I just say, 'What do you want me to do?' Modeling doesn't last forever. I have to have something to fall back on. At least when I'm done with the Army, I can go into the FBI or the CIA, whereas in modeling, when you're a certain age, they don't want you anymore."
But if she were to receive an offer that she could not refuse…
"Maybe if that happened I'd hold off, because the military is always there, but I just don't ever see that happening," she says. "You sit down and look at your life, and you look at modeling, and you have to think of your future.
"I like modeling, but you have to go somewhere with your life."
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