“There are so many moments in my life when I have to pinch myself to check if this is reality,” says Miss December Eniko Mihalik. The daughter of a cop, Eniko was the first in her family to leave her home country of Hungary, ultimately settling in New York City. There, her ambition landed her in the famous Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and on magazine covers with Naomi Campbell and, this month, our Rabbit.

That’s just part of what makes this self-made woman the perfect Playmate to cap off a historic year that saw another self-made woman take a hammer to the glass ceiling. Eniko works hard, stays modest and takes nothing for granted. “Every woman is criticized and torn down,” she says. “I’ve wanted to quit at times, but I sucked it up and persevered. Considering where I come from, I will always be fortunate. You can’t please everyone, but you can walk away, close your ears and keep going.”