Former assistant dean to Denver Broncos cheerleader: Meet SI Swimsuit's 2023 Swim Search finalists
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The Swim Search Final 12 has been announced by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. A former assistant dean, entrepreneurs, ex-beauty queens, and a Denver Broncos cheerleader are among those on the list.
SI Swimsuit has announced the top 12 finalists for this year's open casting call. The Swim Search is organized each year to allow aspiring and seasoned models the opportunity to be featured with the franchise – either in print or across digital properties. Because of the COVID epidemic, in-person casting calls were canceled, so the search shifted digital, with social media and The Swimfluence Network app used to identify a fresh pool of applicants. Previous winners include actress Kathy Jacobs and models Haley Kalil, Brooks Nader, and Camille Kostek.
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Meet this year's 12 outstanding finalists below! Here's all you need to know about the final 12, who are sure to create a name for themselves as they compete to be featured as a rookie in the May 2024 edition.
Achieng Agutu
The 26-year-old content creator resides in New York. Achieng was born in Kenya before migrating to Richmond, Indiana, where she completed high school before attending Goshen College to study public relations and Spanish. She earned a double master's degree in international marketing and business analytics from New York's Hult International Business School. According to Insider, she earned more than $1 million in business agreements during her first year as a full-time influencer in 2022. Achieng styles herself online as "The Tantalizing Confidence Queen," and her material certainly resonates with people.
According to SI Swimsuit, she "empowers her followers through her lifestyle content as a Black woman who loves fashion, skincare, beauty, and luxury." "She first gained prominence for her comedic monologues focused on showing what regular bodies look like," the publication continued. "Her personal mission is to empower people to live authentically and live their best lives through self-love and self-confidence, and by reshaping beauty standards."
Adison Justis
Adison, now 21, was scouted by Wilhelmina Models when she was only 17, and when she's not modeling, she works as an intern for executive producer Lori Rothschild Ansaldi. The approach focuses on criminal justice reform and wrongful conviction cases, conducting research on 'innocence claims to establish the feasibility of wrongful conviction lawsuits, pushing cases for public attention in the hopes of finding a law firm to handle the case pro gratis.' And she appears to have the full support of her supervisor, Lori, who posted a heartfelt statement about her intern on Instagram after she was named to the Final 12.
In addition, she holds a two-year college degree.
Acacia McBride
Acacia moved to Los Angeles to pursue her modeling career after receiving her Bachelor of Arts in communications from Clark University in Atlanta. The 25-year-old digital designer, who is originally from Starkville, Mississippi, is also an autism champion.
You may have also seen her in advertisements for Patrick Ta, Too Faced Cosmetics, and Beauty Blender at Sephora.
Berkleigh Wright
The 28-year-old is originally from Lawrence, Kansas, but currently resides in Denver, Colorado. She is a technical account manager and analyst with degrees in psychology, strategic communications, and business from the University of Kansas. Berkleigh is also a businesswoman in the technology industry and a Denver Broncos fan. Her love of reading has also inspired her to launch a book vlog called Bookin' It With Berk.
Berkleigh volunteers with the Children's Hospital of Colorado, Habitat For Humanity, Dare To Cheer, and the Denver Broncos Junior Cheerleaders.
Brittney Nicole
Brittney entered the Navy after studying psychology at Augusta State, where she was stationed in Gulfport, Mississippi, but she also traveled to Spain, Japan, Israel, and Guam. She established schools for runaways in these nations, among other things. She then worked as a civilian for the Navy and is relatively new to the field of modeling, which she only began pursuing a year ago. She's already had some success, having walked the runway at New York Fashion Week and landing a magazine cover.
Jena Sims Koepka
Jena, 34, started Pageant of Hope, a non-profit organization that, according to its website, "aims to raise awareness and support in giving children and teenagers who face serious challenges the opportunity to shine and be celebrated for who they are." She is also a model, with over 250,000 followers on Instagram.
Jena, an actress most known for her appearance in the Sharknado films, is frequently pictured cheering for her PGA Tour husband, Brooks Koepka, during golf events. After more than five years together, the pair, who met at the 2015 Masters, confirmed their engagement in April 2021. The couple married in a spectacular ceremony in Turks and Caicos in 2022, and Jena disclosed ahead of the wedding that her boyfriend was highly involved in the event's preparation.
Jena attended Belmont University and was crowned Miss Teen Georgia USA in 2007. The model and businesswoman praised her acceptance in the 2023 Swim Search Final as bringing her "one step closer to her biggest dream in life."
Jenna Kutcher
As the host of The Goal Digger Podcast, she has millions of loving admirers. Jenna, 34, is a New York Times bestselling author of "How Are You, Really?" as well as a digital marketer and mother of two. She quit her "windowless office corporate job" at the age of 23 and purchased a $300 camera on Craigslist.
Jenna began her career as a wedding photographer, according to Forbes. But she wanted to work from "her cozy craftsman home in her yoga pants," so she started her podcast, which gives "practical advice to other women entrepreneurs." It already has over 680 episodes and 85 million downloads. The Duluth, Minnesota, native now leads a "seven-figure empire." Jenna also discusses body image and talks about it in her book.
Mahalia Handley
The 30-year-old model from Darwin, Australia, has been modeling for 13 years, not only in Australia but also in the United Kingdom and the United States. According to SI Swimsuit, she identifies as half Maori and half Irish and founded Shine4Diversity, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming the fashion media scene in Australia.
Mahalia opens up about her experiences in the fashion world and suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). She's also discussed bodily dysmorphia.
The Curtin University business degree is the Australian model, with an emphasis on communications and viewpoints with indigenous firms. She wrote for Women's Health about her PCOS, revealing how she and her family were distraught for months when she was misdiagnosed with cervical cancer. She was eventually diagnosed with PCOS by a doctor.
Nana Meriwether
After being a former Miss USA, the 37-year-old is no stranger to the limelight. Nana finished second in 2012, however since Miss USA Olivia Culpo won Miss Universe that year and had to resign from the post, Nana stepped in. Nana, who was born in South Africa and raised in Potomac, Maryland, now heads Navina, a firm that produces low-alcohol wine substitutes.
She has worked for ConsenSys, a blockchain software startup, and has written for magazines such as Vanity Fair, Vogue Australia, and Harper's Bazaar. Nana also co-founded the Meriwether Foundation, which works in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and South Africa to improve "health, empowering communities and alleviating poverty."
Nina Cash
Nina's modeling goal has been a long time coming for her as a retired university associate dean from Long Beach, California. She has almost three decades of experience in education, training, and workforce development, and she has a PhD in educational leadership with a concentration on higher education and adult learning.
Back in 2010, the stunning contestant appeared on season three of TV Land's reality show 'She's Got The Look'. The series, similar to 'America's Next Top Model,' has ten women aged 35 and up competing for a modeling contract. Nina told the Press-Telegram that she was scouted when she was 16, but because she was reared in a strict Catholic family, her parents would not allow her to pursue the chance until she graduated high school.
She worked as a "catalog girl," appearing in advertisements for Robinson's, Macy's, and other stores, including one in Vienna. When she became pregnant at the age of 25, she had to abandon her modeling career in order to raise her kid as a single parent. With the help of her husband and kids, the then-43-year-old was given a second opportunity on the reality program.
The 56-year-old, who is married and has three children, is currently in the last 12 for the SI Swim Search and is signed to NTA Model Management.
Penny Lane
The 27-year-old from Cheshire, England, had a shaky start in the profession. Penny was spotted at the age of 13 while shopping with her mother. In 2016, she was already five-foot-ten, with 'absolutely no boobs, hips, or clue,' characterizing herself as a 'full giraffe' to Work Work Work.
Penny moved to London and Istanbul to pursue modeling after spending her adolescence in Australia and the United Kingdom. She sees London as her "rock bottom," with the business insisting she "lose weight and even consider a breast reduction," according to SI Swimsuit. Penny is deeply committed to increasing public understanding of mental health and body image concerns.
Sharina Gutierrez
The 32-year-old is not new to the business. Sharina has been in music videos, advertisements, and campaigns since she was 12 years old. Her wide résumé includes collaborations with well-known companies like Reebok, Rimmel London, Estee Lauder, and Ralph Lauren.
Sharina is a sound guide who helps individuals ascend to their higher selves and seek a life of unconditional self-love, according to SI Swimsuit. She is also a founder member of Mama Mantra, a family brand that will launch in 2023 with the goal of inspiring parents and children to believe in themselves and break down boundaries. Sharina is a mother of three who resides in Los Angeles.
Stay tuned for additional information on the 2023 SI Swim Search program, and prepare to be blown away by these exceptional finalists.