Pulse's million-dollar model search 2016 is on

The 2016 edition of Pulse's Search For The Million Dollar Girl will be unfolding on television screens in Jamaica and across the Caribbean in October.

Inspired by the recent successes of Pulse stars Francine James and last year's winner Alicia Burke, the search attracted hundreds of prospective models keen on realising their dreams and taking aim at becoming Pulse's next global star.

The field has been narrowed to 22 girls in this season's battle of Fashion vs Petites. The beautiful Melia Braco Resort Village will be the backdrop for one lucky girl with the perfect face, body and spirit to take the top honours of 'Pulse's Million Dollar Girl' and will be awarded $1m in cash and prizes (with no less than $300,000 in cash). Prizes include a ticket to New York to visit model agencies, guaranteed modelling contracts and weekends at the Melia Braco, among others.

CREATED LEGENDS

Since 1980, The Pulse Search has produced fashion legends like Lois Samuels, Angela Neil, Kimberley Mais, Romae Gordon, Althea Laing, Carla Campbell, Lincoln Wynter, as well as more recent supermodels Jeneil Williams, Oraine Barrett, Jaunel McKenzie, Sedene Blake, Nell Robinson and Nadine Willis.

Meet Kayla Innis, one of the finalists in this year's competition.

Kayla Innis is a 20-year-old student at UTech pursuing a degree in dietetics and nutrition.

"I was encouraged by my hairdresser to try modelling and came to Pulse to audition. I fell in love with fashion and modelling since then," says the 5'10" beauty.

The former Immaculate Conception High School graduate is from the community of Rock Hall in St Andrew. Innis says she is passionate about health and fitness, music and art.

"I am drawn to naturopathy and always want to explore the best and most natural ways to stay fit and healthy. I will need to be in the best shape to become a top-ranked model so this is a good attitude for me to have. I know diet and exercise are important to have success in this business. Thankfully, I like eating lots of fruits and vegetables," she said.

Music and art is also a big part of Kayla's life. The self-taught pianist loves to listen to a wide array of music. She is also a big fan of the visual and performing arts.

"I taught myself how to draw and I especially like to do portraits of people and animals," she said.

Innis says she really loves the excitement that exists around fashion and she has come to enjoy preparing for shows and shoots. Her favourite models are Nell Robinson and Nadine Willis, the latter she admires for the fact that despite her background, she was able to overcome her circumstances to make a huge impact on the modelling world. Her dream modelling jobs are to shoot for Vogue and star in a campaign for top fashion brand Balmain.