Brookline beauty on America's Next Top Model

BOSTON -- A Bay State beauty is in the spotlight as a contestant on the latest season of the CW's America's Next Top Model.

Brookline's Esther Petrack, 18, says she tried out for the show on a whim and was surprised to find she made the cut.

"I didn't think I had a shot of doing the show. I tried out because I had nothing to lose," said Esther Petrack.

The Brookline native said being chosen for the show was as much as a surprise to her as it was to her friends at the Maimonides School.

"They all think it's weird because they know me as a friend and as a classmate, but they don't really know me in the context of modeling. They see me on TV and they’re like that's weird, I was in your history class," said Petrack.

She may have been in their history class, but where she wasn't, was at her own graduation.

"I was supposed to graduate in May. I missed graduation because of filming," said Petrack.

Now the 5'9" beauty is continuing her education far from home.

"Right now I’m in Israel. I’m in a Hebrew language course. I lived in Israel till I was 7, but I left when I was in the middle of first grade. The Hebrew you learn up until first grade, it’s not the best," said Petrack.

Through all the high profile photo shoots, and backstage drama, Petrack said she always remembered her friends and family in Massachusetts.

"Getting on the show was very much a group effort. It wasn’t just me it was a lot, it was was my parents, it was me, it was my friends a lot," said Petrack.

Petrack next step is to come back home for college, but she's not

learning what she's learned on America’s Next Top Model.

"I want to keep on trying to model, I definitely do," said Petrack.

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