Sessilee Lopez can be classified in one word: attitude! And with her striking looks—thank her Dominican, Portuguese, Cuban, and African-American roots—it's no wonder why this Philly native is one of today's top models. But it was a hard road Sessilee would have to travel to obtain the notoriety she knows now.

Born on January 4, 1989, Sessilee was raised by a single mother with her two sisters—one of which is her twin. Growing up, Sessilee dreamt of modeling but didn't think her dreams would come true as she suffered from eczema and was extremely self-conscious about being darker-skinned than her sisters. But she managed to muster up her confidence and begged her mother for six years to be a model. Her mother fully supported her and even sold their house to move to New York in pursuit of Sessilee's modeling career. And in 2004, Sessilee was discovered at an IMG open casting call where she was signed.

Sessilee received her big break in 2005 when she landed a contract with Calvin Klein's CK One fragrance. Casting directors began to take notice and for the Fall 2005 collections, Sessilee walked top international shows, including Zac Posen, Karl Lagerfeld, and Emporio Armani. That same year Sessilee made editorial debuts in Vogue Italia, New York Times Style Magazine, and Harper’s Bazaar.

However, Sessilee's true push to international recognition came when she graced the fold-out cover of the Black issue of Vogue Italia with Liya Kebede, Jourdan Dunn, and Naomi Campbell; she was also featured inside with a 30-page spread. Since then Sessilee has appeared in W, V Magazine, i-D, and has popped up in Vogue Italia a few times since the infamous issue.

Many industry members make comparisons between Sessilee and model icon Grace Jones. "A lot of people say that I remind them of Grace Jones, which is an honor for me because she is an amazing woman." But Sessilee does not like to be pigeonholed. In an article for Latina, Sessilee stated: "Fashion is very black and white. It doesn't pay attention to heritage much. They don't see me as a Dominican girl, they just see the color of my skin."

Sessilee currently resides in New York City's East Village, where she loves to hang out with her friends and listen to her favorite rap and R&B artists like Jay-Z, Stevie Wonder, and Nas.