Pulse supermodel Jeneil Williams is on a rare ‘Rock’ break and is eager for what she calls a real vacation with her entire family. “I went to Africa for a shoot,” she tells SO, “but didn’t get a chance to see the place, so I would love to return with my family for a vacation.” There’s more on the wish list of the gorgeous chocolate beauty who’s referred to in the biz as ‘the one with the personality, the legs and the lips’. “There’s Bora, Bora,” she adds. “And the cookbook to complete… I also want to study acting so that I can star in a movie.” A wide, innocent smile flashes across her face as she reels off her wish list, but considering her meteoric rise from lanky track student at Vere Technical High School to in-demand model strutting the international runways for the world’s most iconic fashion designers it would be foolhardy to discount her resolve. Williams, who’ll be honoured on Thursday, April 11 by her mother agency Pulse International, confesses to waking up and pinching herself. “Of course, sometimes the experience is overwhelming,” she explains, “but in a good way. I get to go on amazing locations and work with the power-brokers in the business. I sometimes get nervous because I want to make sure I do everything right, like when I was working with Karl Lagerfeld for the Diet Coke campaign and again for Pirelli.”

Getting things right is exactly what Williams has done since her days at school even when she found herself the butt of jokes. “I used to get teased for my complexion, which was bizarre because the kids who were doing the teasing were not much lighter-skinned than I am.”

Thankfully, her school years were not all filled with negative memories. Indeed, her first real crush sat three desks in front of her: “I think it was in first form, but I honestly don’t remember his name. I loved track and field and I really enjoyed boarding at Vere Tech,” she’s quick to add.

“It was very different from my neighbourhood in Kingston and I really liked that there were girls from all over Jamaica boarding.” Loving her field discipline was one thing, waking up early to train was another. ” I hated waking up early to go training though! I was a high jumper and I was also training, to do the heptathlon.”

If Miss Williams — Jeneil’s favourite teacher (no relation) — who taught her accounts as well as how to throw the discus, knew that her training would put her in good stead for the discipline required of a model to stay at the top of her game, her student dared only imagine the possibilities.

“Even though I was an athlete, I always dreamed of being a model. I used to dress up in my mother’s clothes and make up my own outfits with different things that I could find. I used to also participate in fashion shows at my school. I also started to imagine myself in these situations: being on the cover of magazines, walking the red carpet for movie premieres, being in the same space as other accomplished stars in the movies, fashion and music. Even the thought of travelling to different places, which as a young girl growing up seemed so unimaginable to me, is all part of what I regularly do now. I am glad that I’m able to do these things and experience them in real life.”

So much has happened since those years at Vere Tech and Williams’ first runway appearance at New York Fashionweek. ” I think it was Zero + Maria Cornejo… I hope I’m right… but doing the shows in New York for the first time was amazing. The adrenalin rush of finally walking on one of the major runway stages of the world was unbeatable.”

When asked about her finest hour, there’s perplexity. “Gosh! That’s so hard, there’ve been so many… I wanted to work for Louis Vuitton and also Balenciaga, and I got to do both: a campaign for Balenciaga and LV is now one of my regular clients. Shooting my LOVE cover with British stylist and fashion journalist Katie Grand and photographers Mert & Marcus. It was amazing having all the supermodels around… Lara Stone, Kate Moss, Daria Werbowy, to name a few.”

London beckons once again. “I have something coming up in London,” she shares, “but I’m not allowed to say right now.” Whatever happens, hard work remains the focus of the 23-year-old. “Hard work brings success… I like to get things done now and out of the way. Trying to accomplish all my goals in modelling gets me out of bed.”

Hard work has certainly paid off as the successful model will be lauded by her mother agency Pulse on Thursday, April 11, which is being dubbed “Jeneil Day” — a culmination of the homecoming celebrations.

The activities planned include: A visit to Vere Technical High School.

A courtesy call on government officials.

A citation to be presented by Pulse on Thursday, April 11 at the CFW launch at PULS8.

Dinner at Majestic Sushi and Grill in her honour, to be hosted by Pulse.