SI Swimsuit Model Manju Reflects on Debut Feature and Fulfilling ‘Wildest Dreams’

Manju was photographed by Yu Tsai in Dominican Republic. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

If Manju is anything, she’s proof that you can wear many hats at one time. She was a physicist before she came to the set of her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit photoshoot in 2022. She was 24 years old and wanted to explore a new passion. With that in mind, she applied for the SI Swim Search, the brand’s annual open casting call. And, as one of the finalists, she traveled to the Dominican Republic with photographer Yu Tsai to make her dream a reality.

Translating her aspirations into real life achievements is something that she’s particularly good at. Her SI Swimsuit debut was a dream fulfilled. But she has so many more passions that began as simple aspirations. Some of her many titles include actor, physicist, aspiring astronaut, nonprofit founder, Miss Oregon USA 2023 and, most recently, children’s book author.

The 2022 SI Swimsuit model walked through these various accomplishments in a recent TikTok to remind her followers that turning dreams into a reality is more than possible. “Working so hard to remind y’all that we can be all the things we want to be,” she wrote on the clip. “With the right resources, support, and care, we can be all the things we want to be.”

Her SI Swimsuit debut was a testament to that. She had to put herself out there, apply and work hard to make it to the beaches of the Dominican Republic. So, that’s what she did. And she wants her followers to know they can do the same where their dreams are concerned.

Manju was photographed by Yu Tsai in Dominican Republic. Swimsuit by Gil Rodriguez / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated