Alum wants to be on top

Kasia Pilewicz is the real deal.  The "fiercely real" deal, that is. 

Given the title by none other than Tyra Banks herself, Kasia has proven that her "plus size" status as a model competing on the current cycle of "America's Next Top Model" is not holding her back.

Kasia has come a long way in her 26 years.  Originally from Wheaton, Illinois, she is now in New York City laying low and honing her skills until the show ends when she can continue pursuing her modeling career, which already boasts of impressive photo shoots with V Magazine, Seventeen, and Glamour.

Before the big move to America's fashion capital at age 23, Kasia was a regular undergraduate student pursuing Journalism and Photography (her major and minor, respectively) at DePaul.

She particularly enjoyed her classes in art, photography, and broadcast journalism.  Although she traded in her B.A. degree to focus on modeling, the skills she learned at DePaul still come in handy.

"I know what it feels like to be on the other side of the camera, so that helps me perform better when I'm the one in front of the camera," she said in a recent email interview.  The same can be said of the interviewing and reporting skills she learned in her Journalism classes. 

Aside from her classes, Kasia had her fun in the city, too.  As an undergrad at DePaul, she enjoyed attending various art and photography exhibits, jogging along Lake Shore Drive, checking out the many Lincoln Park bars and restaurants, and, of course, shopping.  Among her favorite restaurants in Chicago are Gibsons, Avec, and Nan's Sushi.

By the time of her graduation, the beautiful Lake Michigan, the multitude of clothing stores, and the supreme sushi were not enough to keep Kasia in Chicago.  As far as her degree in Journalism, she said, "it was fun, but just not quite creative enough."

Kasia then made the impulsive decision to take her talents from the Windy City to the Big Apple.  Along with her desire to become a model, Kasia also took with her a piece of advice from her mother. 

"My mom told me to never let the world change me, which was the same advice my grandfather gave her when she was moving to America."  

Originally from Poland, her mother was not keen on the idea of her becoming a model in her teens, but she eventually gave in while Kasia was in high school and allowed her to pursue modeling as long as she remained focused on her grades. 

Kasia listened to her mother and graduated from DePaul with honors before fully committing herself to her biggest dream.  Coming from a big city, the transition to New York was not difficult for Kasia.  She immediately felt comfortable and felt as if she was exactly where she was meant to be.  That feeling proved to be fact as she began signing modeling and acting contracts right away.  

Perhaps her biggest accomplishment yet, Kasia secured a spot on Cycle 16 of "America's Next Top Model" just three years after moving to New York City.  Despite being the oldest contestant and the only plus size model, Kasia has performed extremely well thus far in the season and has avoided the dreaded "bottom two" each week.  She was even praised by host Tyra herself for her acting in a commercial shoot, in which Tyra claimed her performance is perhaps the best commercial performance in Top Model history. 

High praise from America's most well-known supermodel only brightens Kasia's future prospects, but she will have to face judgment from the rest of the modeling industry when the show ends. 

As a plus size (or rather, fiercely real) model, Kasia will have to compete against ultra-thin (arguably skeletal) models that currently dominate the industry.  Kasia is not too disheartened by this potential limit, however.

"I don't do well with limits, so the challenge of it drives me to work harder, and it's really starting to pay off," she said.  Although her final status in the competition remains unknown, Kasia is confident that she won't be out of the spotlight any time soon. 

Her self-confidence and optimism are signs that she won't let the competitive industry keep her down. 

Following her mother's advice, Kasia has remained true to herself.  "Call it ‘fiercely real' or ‘plus size' or whatever, but I can only be Kasia and bring myself to the table."  And that seems to be more than enough for this fiercely real model.

"America's Next Top Model" airs on the CW, Wednesdays at 7 p.m.