Brittany “McKey” Sullivan Alvey

Class of 2013

After winning the 11th cycle of the “America’s Next Top Model,” Brittany “McKey” Sullivan embarked on a successful modeling career that took her around the world.

She was born in September 1988, in Lake Forest, Illinois. At Ripon, she majored in politics and government and chemistry-biology and was a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority and the swimming and tennis teams.

At the age of 19, Sullivan was the eighth contestant to be selected to participate in the next cycle of the “America’s Next Top Model,” an interactive competitive television series hosted by Tyra Banks. To avoid conflict with other contestants who had similar first names, she took the professional name of “McKey.”

As part of her winning prize package, Sullivan appeared on the cover and in a six-page fashion spread in the February 2009 issue of Seventeen magazine and received contracts with CoverGirl cosmetics and Elite Model Management.

Other notable achievements include appearances in the December 2008 issue of In Touch Weekly; the cover of the January 2009 issue of Forest & Bluff Magazine; the March 2009 issue of Nylon magazine; the cover and a spread in the June 2009 issue of Chicago Scene; the September 2009 issue of Marie Claire, modelling Oroton, Fendi and Miu Miu handbags and purses; and the cover and interior fashion spread of the fall 2009 issue of Vogue Knitting magazine.

Sha also appeared in advertisements for numerous brands such as Forever 21, Rendezvous, Myer, Crabtree and Evelyn and Sass and Bide.

On the runway, she walked at Amsterdam International Fashion Week 2009, the Fall 2009 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, 2009 Trinidad and Tobago Fashion Week, and for Mr. Jay’s clothing line “attitude” with Aminat.

She was named one of People magazine’s Most Beautiful People of 2009.

After retiring from modeling, she now actively participates in the mixed martial arts community with her husband, fighter Sam Alvey. They have six children, including one adopted from foster care. She has managed professional fighters for the last 15 years, training and teaching kickboxing and jiu jitsu (she holds a black belt). McKey recently completed the Direct Entry Midwifery Program at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College to become a certified professional midwife.

“I loved the personal education at Ripon,” she said. “My professors knew me and what I was up to. It is forever a part of who I am.

“Ripon is the first place I had success and support, and it sent me out into my own life knowing I could do hard things and build community.”