Nikki
Leigh

ON THE ROAD Get lost in America with Miss May Photography by Stephen Wayda The most cosmopolitan flower child you’ll ever meet, Nikki Leigh is always ready to grab her bags and hit the open road. “I’m a gypsy of sorts,” says our 23-year-old Miss May. “Instead of staying cooped up at home, I would rather be traveling and taking in everything a new place has to offer.” As comfortable sleeping in a tent as in a luxe hotel suite, the SoCal native is a veteran world traveler. “Thanks to my mom, who has been a flight attendant for more than 30 years, I’ve been everywhere from Beijing to Tokyo to Paris,” she explains. She also spent one semester abroad soaking up the culture and sights of Rome and Florence. “The paintings and sculptures in Italy are stunning,” says Nikki, a sociology major who will graduate with honors this month from California State University. “They took my breath away.” So too does her status as Miss May. “It’s something I never expected but always wanted – to be a sex symbol with brains. More than anything, though, I want to make the world smile. I love walking up to girls on the street and saying, ‘You look so beautiful today!’ It’s unbelievable how much such random acts of kindness mean to people. So if being Miss May gives me another way to spread happiness, that’s awesome. I’m all set to travel and do whatever I can to be an incredible ambassador for Playboy. In fact, I can’t wait!”