[3] She is a graduate of Lake Forest High School and attended Ripon College where she majored in government and chemical biology[3][4] and was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority.

[citation needed] She also trains in mixed martial arts with her husband, Sam Alvey.

Sullivan chose "McKey" since her Mother was considering naming her McKenzie when she was born and since it was her penname in high school.

This record was succeeded by Nicole Fox, Krista White, Sophie Sumner, Jourdan Miller and India Gants.

[6][7] She appeared on the cover and had a spread in the February 2009 issue of Seventeen magazine as part of her ANTM prize package.

[8] She had the cover and a spread in Chicago Scene, June 2009 as well as various advertisements for Forever 21, Rendezvous, Myer, Crabtree and Evelyn and Sass and Bide.

[10] She has walked for EиD by Eva and Delia, Mada van Gaans, Ready to Fish by Ilja Visser and Addy van den Krommenacker at Amsterdam International Fashion Week 2009, bookings she was hired for during the go-sees of episode 10.

In 2005, Sullivan met her husband, Sam Alvey, a mixed martial artist, at the Bristol Renaissance Faire where he was working.