If you're ever lucky enough to find Sasha Bonilova in your home, don't be surprised if the voluptuous blonde quickly begins dropping decorating tips. "I'll probably start by suggesting you paint your rooms a new color," says our Miss May, who is working toward a degree in interior design at the Chic ...ago-based Harrington College of Design. "Design is my passion. I'm also passionate about the school experience more generally. I always hope to learn about new things." Sasha grew up in western Ukraine, where she plucked fruit from the apple and cherry trees in her front yard and tinkered with Transformers. "Even though I studied dance and guitar, I was pretty much a tomboy," she says in her enchanting Ukrainian accent. (She speaks Ukrainian, Russian and English and is proficient in Polish and German as well.) Today that tomboy spirit still prevails; she loves to race around on her Yamaha sports bike, which is painted yellow and blue, the colors of the Ukrainian flag. By the age of 17, she and her traditional, tight-knit family, a collection of lawyers and teachers, had moved to Wisconsin. "I feel blessed to live in the United States because it truly is a country of opportunities. You can be anyone you want to be here if you have the talent and will to follow your dreams." After learning that Playboy would not be staging any immediate casting calls in Chicago – our hometown and Sasha's adopted hometown – she followed her dream of becoming a Playmate to Denver. "The people at the casting laughed. They said, 'But you live in Chicago. What are you doing here in Denver?' I told them, 'That's how dedicated I am!'" As for her future, she says, "I expect a lot from myself this year. I see my job as promoting Playboy and natural beauty to the best of my abilities. A lot of girls would die to be in my shoes right now, and I feel so blessed to have this opportunity."

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