Egyptian born, American-Sudanese teenager Anok Yai is setting herself up to be one of the most talked about models of 2018.

Catapulted into prominence by a viral photograph posted on Instagram less than a month ago, the biochemistry student has attracted the support of the internet and modelling agencies alike, and was signed by Next Model Management early November. The 19 year old was discovered at the recent Howard University homecoming celebrations by photographer Steve Hall, who describes the young beauty as ‘the physical embodiment of what my art is. Mysterious. Just a tall, dark-skinned and insanely beautiful person’. Hall’s photo subsequently caught the world’s attention, prompting online petitions to give her a modelling contract, and increasing her online following from 400 to 98,000 in a matter of weeks. Still enrolled in college with plans to finish her studies, the overnight sensation is on the cusp of fulfilling a lifelong dream of being a model and is currently pride of place on Next Model Management’s Twitter page.