Indian American model, author and activist Padma Lakshmi is adding several feathers to her cap. Apart from featuring on  TIME 100’s Most Influential People in the world earlier this year, she also bagged a spot in the latest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. “I feel surreal. I’ve just been so tired that I haven’t really had time to process it. But I’m thankful. I could have never foreseen that.”  The TV presenter — who was born in India and emigrated to the US during her childhood — is an advocate for immigrant rights, and has stressed their importance in America’s successes. She told a website, “America has been built by immigrants from different generations. It is the reason for America’s greatness. That’s why immigrant stories are important.” Lakshmi hosts the cooking show, Taste the Nation, and thinks it addresses some of the issues that the US is currently “grappling with.”

With the Oscar-winner