The highly anticipated Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue cover was finally unveiled Tuesday morning, and the cover girl is a fresh face to the pages of SI. Instead of tapping a swimsuit issue regular, the editors of SI Swim went with newcomer Danielle Herrington, who was first featured as a Rookie in 2017. 
 
 So who exactly is the 24-year-old up-and-comer? Read on to find out how she got her big break, which SI Swim veteran inspired her to get into modeling and what she hopes to do next. 
 
 Her big break was B.I.G. 
 
 Her magazine and red carpet debuts weren’t like the humble beginnings of some stars. Her very first big photo shoot was for SI Swim last year as part of the Rookie class (which includes Olivia Culpo, Hunter McGrady and Ebonee Davis this year). And she told FOX News that she was so nervous on set last year that she couldn’t eat anything before the shoot. 
 
 Ben Watts for Sports Illustrated 
 
 “It took place in Fiji and I was really nervous,” she revealed. “You know how you’re so nervous your knees shake? That was me. SI was my first big job modeling so I definitely felt the pressure within me.” 
 
 And as if that’s not impressive enough, her first walk down the runway was during Philipp Plein’s star-studded spring 2017 show in September (which also featured Irina Shayk and Adriana Lima on the catwalk). 
 
 “I’m so grateful to Carine [Roitfeld] and her team for casting me in the Philipp Plein show, which was my New York Fashion Week debut,” she told CR Fashion Book. “I’m obsessed with Future and Nicki Minaj, who both performed, but my most starstruck moment by far was being backstage with Adriana Lima. She’s even more beautiful in real life.” 
 
 Ben Watts/SPORTS ILLUSTRATED 
 
 She made her NYFW return at Plein’s fall 2018 show last weekend. 
 
 She’s from Compton, California. 
 
 She may be Bushwick-based now, but Herrington grew up in Compton, Califorina, and had a childhood that she describes as “pretty normal.” 
 
 “A lot of the time after school, we would go to my grandma’s house because my parents were working,” she shared. “We would swim, ride our bikes down the street, we had a trampoline, scooters, everything! I went to a private school so I guess I got away from the bad action.” 
 
 RELATED: Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Models Answer Everyone’s Burning Question: ‘How Many Bikinis Do You Own?’ 
 
 She has a very low-key beauty routine. 
 
 Herrington calls herself “pretty chill” when asked to describe her beauty rituals. “My hair is a weave, so I just kind of wet it, put a little conditioner in, and let it air dry. It’s so easy,” she said. “I don’t really have acne, and just wash my face with the Neutrogena orange pump soap ($5.99), then moisturize with some basic cream like Pond’s ($4.99). My only splurge is the GlamGlow mask, which I use a lot.” 
 
 She feels sexiest when she’s spritzing perfume. 
 
 She told GQ she feels most sexy when she’s, “putting on lotion and my favorite perfume after a hot shower.” 
 
 One of her modeling idols is Tyra Banks. 
 
 Herrington revealed that she always aspired to have a career like Sports Illustrated Swimsuit two-time cover star Tyra Banks. “I just remember Tyra Banks being on the cover and that’s where it all started for me,” she said. “That’s what really made me pursue modeling. SI was a goal from that point, from seeing Tyra on the cover. It was love at first sight… everything happened naturally.” 
 
 WATCH: Sailor Brinkley Cook Spent Hours Deciding What Words to Paint on Her Body for ‘SI’s’ ‘In Her Words’ Campaign 
 
 She wants her career to span between swim and high-fashion. 
 
 Even though Herrington’s making major moves in the swim world right now, she doesn’t want to be pigeonholed into one modeling category. She told CR Fashion Book that she hopes the industry has room for someone who can do both swim and high-fashion. 
 
 “I started modeling when I was 13 years old, and I already had boobs and a butt then, with a baby face. I’m pretty much the same now,” she said. “Everybody knows me as a ‘swim’ girl, but I’m trying to get more into high fashion. I’m not like a ‘curve’ model, but I have curves, right? It seems the industry is finally making room for more kinds of beauty now. ||||| The wait is FINALLY over... 
 
 And Danielle Herrington is living a dream on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2018. We invited the two-time SI Swimsuit model to our office under the guise of a virtual reality shoot. Little did she know her life was about to change forever. As she "accidentally" walked into a studio, she found herself on set with an SI Swimsuit legend — the one and only Tyra Banks. As the two embraced, meeting for the first time, the room waited with bated breath for the reveal of a lifetime. Watch the video above to see the unforgettable moment! 
 
 The beautiful brunette was shot by photographer Ben Watts in Harbour Island, Bahamas, where she stunned on the pink sand beaches of the Caribbean island. 
 
 Danielle started her career just last year and stole the hearts of so many SI Swimsuit fans. The Compton, Calif. native mesmerized as she posed for her first professional shoot (EVER) in beautiful Fiji. "I remember being told I was going to live in New York," Danielle said last year after seeing her first photos in the magazine. "Six months later, I'm a Swimsuit model." 
 
 Massimo Campana 
 
 Massimo Campana 
 
 "Last year, Danielle was a rookie, and yet already an exemplary model," said SI Swimsuit Editor MJ Day. "She's an extra hard worker and a natural brand ambassador. All those things separately don't guarantee a cover, though. Danielle was a shy girl, who went from taking her first photos last year to showing up this year a completely different person. All the good things about her seemed to be magnified. 
 
 "She owned every single second of her shoot. She had an enthusiasm and effervescence about her — I felt like I was meeting her for the first time. Last year she showed up never expecting to be there; this year she showed up completely claiming her place and status as a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model." 
 
 Ben Watts 
 
 This year's issue of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit was shot in the Caribbean, where 20...make that now 21 covers have been shot over the magazine's 54-year history. Danielle becomes just the third African-American to appear on the cover, joining Tyra Banks (1997) and Beyonce (2005). Other famous cover models such as Kate Upton, Heidi Klum, Kathy Ireland and Christie Brinkley have gone on to have illustrious careers in movies, TV, business and beyond. 
 
 "I can't even believe I'm saying this. I am the 2018 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model," said Danielle. "I can't wait for everyone to see it. I'm emotional, but I just want to say thank you to everyone who believed in me. I put in so much work for this and I'm feeling very accomplished, happy and excited." 
 
 See every cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue: 
 

– Danielle Herrington is the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model for 2018. The magazine revealed its swimsuit edition cover Tuesday. Herrington is the third black woman to appear on the cover of the annual issue that launched in 1964, the AP reports. Beyonce appeared on the cover in 2007, while Tyra Banks was the cover model in 1996 and 1997. Herrington first appeared in the magazine's swimsuit issue last year. SI details the ruse used to reveal the big news to Herrington: Staff lured her to a studio for what she thought would be a virtual reality shoot, only to be told the real reason for her visit by Banks herself. Herrington only started her modeling career last year, SI notes. "Danielle was a shy girl, who went from taking her first photos last year to showing up this year a completely different person," says MJ Day, the Swimsuit Issue's editor. "All the good things about her seemed to be magnified." Day notes, however, that even though the issue was conceived and shot before the #MeToo movement heated up last fall, it's about more than just women in swimsuits. Day says the magazine is "creating and giving platforms to these women" and presenting them as multidimensional people. See the emotional moment when the 24-year-old Herrington finds out she's the one at Sports Illustrated, or find out more about her at People.