Kelsey Merritt announced as the newest Sports Illustrated rookie for 2019

“Sneak peek from my #SISwim Rookie shoot!” (Photo: @kelseymerritt/Instagram)

Twenty-two-year-old Filipina-American Kelsey Merritt already established a name for Filipinos in the international modelling scene after being the first from the Philippines to walk the Victoria’s Secret runway last November, but last Sunday, February 16, she also announced that she is the newest addition to the rookie class of the iconic Sports Illustrated Swimsuit magazine.

In a video posted on her Instagram page, Kelsey says, “I’ve been keeping this a secret for a while, and now I’m so excited I get to finally share with you all that I’m the newest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2019 Rookie!” adding that the shoot was in Bahamas. A few days later, she wows her fans with snippets from the shoot, captioned, “Sneak peek from my #SISwim Rookie shoot!!! Can’t wait for the issue to come out in May! The best team.” 

From being a small-town girl growing up in Pampanga to graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), Kelsey has been achieving her dreams after her big move to New York City. Kelsey shares with Sports Illustrated Magazine back in October during her casting call that she “really wants to be a Sports Illustrated model because [she] love[s] how confident the models are,” adding, “I want to show everyone who is looking at these pictures and reading the magazine that they can also be confident in their own skin.” As a response to her callback, the magazine’s online contributor Xandria James writes, “During her SI Swimsuit casting call last October, Kelsey was all smiles as she told us what modeling for the magazine would mean to her.”

Sports Illustrated is a Meredith Corporation-owned American publication that centers around the sports industry. However, every year, they come out with a swimsuit edition where top models, actors, and artists make the cover.