SI Swimsuit 2017 Rookie Reveal: Myla Dalbesio

Get to know SI Swimsuit 2017 rookie Myla Dalbesio.

Erin Flynn | Jan 30, 2017

The wait is finally over! Rookie Reveal Week has arrived. Throughout the week, SwimDaily will introduce our newest models with voting set to begin on Friday Feb. 3. Today, we meet Myla Dalbesio.

Myla was born in Pennsylvania but grew up in Racine, Wisconsin, where she cultivated a love for cheese and brandy. "It sounds so cheesy to say this, because everyone says, oh, [you're from] Wisconsin, you must love cheese! But I do love cheese," Mylatold SI during her casting call. Her other loves include art, concerts, Real Housewives, camping (though she's really bad with directions) and making her signature campfire-roasted breakfast burritos.

Want more Myla? Lucky for you, she will be at the VIBES by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit festival in Houston. The two-day event at Post HTX kicks off on Feb. 17 with a food festival featuring favorites from top national and regional chefs along with a performance by R&B sensation Miguel. The fun continues on Saturday with a lineup of local Houston musicians and a headlining performance by Grammy Award-winning producer and DJ Diplo. BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW!

To pass the time until VIBES, read five fun facts you might not know about this American sweetheart.

1. She was crowned Miss Wisconsin Teen USA when she was 16, which sparked her modeling career.

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2. Modeling isn't her only art form—she slays behind the camera too, and even photographed herself last year for a spread in the first non-nude issue of Playboy called "How To Photograph A Woman."

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3. She rejects the "plus-sized model" label. At a size 8, some call Myla an "in-betweeenie" or a "mid-sized model," but she has a different label for herself. "I'd rather be called... a model," she told SI.

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4. Feminism and women's rights are extremely important to her. She participated in the Women's March on Washington and campaigned for Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential race.

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5. Studying dance contributed to her appreciation for the human form. In high school she taught ballet, tap, jazz and modern dance at a studio owned by her sister.