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Melissa Sinkevics Goes Viral as Fans Discover Her Miss Michigan Teen USA Past
Melissa Sinkevics, also known as Melissa Hutchinson, is a Michigan native best recognized as a former Miss Michigan Teen USA titleholder, a working photographer, and the mother of Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. She built her own career in modeling and photography long before her son’s NFL fame put her in front of national television cameras.
Sinkevics has spent decades balancing a creative business with raising three children who each found their own public spotlight, from a Miss Michigan USA crown to a professional football career.
Quick Facts Table
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Real Name | Melissa Sinkevics (also known as Melissa Hutchinson) |
| Date of Birth | July 13, 1972 |
| Birthplace | Dearborn, Michigan, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Photographer, former model, brand ambassador |
| Known For | Miss Michigan Teen USA 1988; mother of NFL player Aidan Hutchinson |
| Spouse | Chris Hutchinson (married June 1995) |
| Children | Mia, Aria, and Aidan Hutchinson |
| Education | University of Michigan (LSA, graduated 1995) |
Some figures that circulate online for Melissa Sinkevics, including her current city of residence, her net worth, and her physical measurements, could not be confirmed through a credible, named source at the time of writing. Rather than repeat unverified numbers from anonymous fan sites, this article leaves those fields out.
Early Life and Background
Melissa Sinkevics was born on July 13, 1972, in Dearborn, Michigan, a city in the Detroit metropolitan area. She attended Divine Child High School in Dearborn, the same school her son Aidan would later graduate from decades afterward.
According to reporting that references genealogy site Pride of Detroit, Sinkevics is the granddaughter of Joseph Bernardi, a World War II veteran. That family connection is honored in her son Aidan’s full name, Aidan Joseph Bernardi Hutchinson, and Aidan has spoken publicly about wearing a Swiss flag on his helmet as a nod to the family’s Swiss roots through his great grandfather.
After high school, Sinkevics enrolled at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where she earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) in 1995. It was during her college years that she met her future husband, Chris Hutchinson, who played defensive tackle for the Michigan Wolverines football team under head coach Bo Schembechler.
Career Journey
Melissa Sinkevics built a career across three distinct fields: pageantry, modeling, and photography.
1988: At age 16, Sinkevics won the Miss Michigan Teen USA title. The win marked her first public recognition and opened the door to a modeling career.
1988 to 1998: She worked as a professional model, signed with the Michigan talent agency Productions Plus. Her modeling work centered on automotive marketing, a natural fit given Michigan’s status as the heart of the American auto industry. She represented Ford Motor Company and Buick during this period, including appearances tied to Ford’s Mach III concept car.
1995: She graduated from the University of Michigan with her LSA degree, and married Chris Hutchinson the same year.
Early 2000s: After stepping back from modeling, Sinkevics launched her own photography studio, Storybook Child Photography, focused on family and child portraiture.
Later years: She rebranded the studio as Melissa Hutchinson Photography, a business she continues to run in Michigan, and she shares her photography work with an audience on Instagram.
2020: Sinkevics became a brand ambassador for the clothing line Savvi, returning to a public-facing fashion role two decades after her modeling days.
2022: Sinkevics drew national attention when her son Aidan was selected second overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2022 NFL Draft. She documented the family’s trip to Las Vegas for the draft on social media, describing the experience as one of the most meaningful of her life.
September 2025: Sinkevics went viral again after ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast cameras caught her and her daughter Mia reacting in the stands during a Lions win over the Baltimore Ravens, prompting a wave of attention on social media.
Personal Life
Melissa Sinkevics married Chris Hutchinson in June 1995, and the couple marked their 30th wedding anniversary in June 2025, according to posts on her Instagram account. Chris Hutchinson works as a physician; reporting has described him as practicing emergency medicine with Corewell Health in Michigan, following his own college football career at Michigan and a stint with the Cleveland Browns organization.
The couple has three children, all raised in the Dearborn, Michigan area:
- Mia Hutchinson, the eldest, born in 1996, who works in photography and creative direction, following a path similar to her mother’s.
- Aria Hutchinson, born in 1998, who was crowned Miss Michigan USA in 2022, echoing her mother’s own pageant history.
- Aidan Hutchinson, born August 9, 2000, in Plymouth, Michigan, a unanimous All-American at the University of Michigan, runner-up for the 2021 Heisman Trophy, and the second overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He now plays defensive end for the Detroit Lions, where he was named to the Pro Bowl in 2023 and 2025 and earned his first All-Pro selection in 2025.
Sinkevics maintains a public Instagram presence where she posts family photography and updates from her sons and daughters’ milestones, along with reactions from Lions games she attends with her husband and children.
Achievements and Awards
- Miss Michigan Teen USA, 1988
- Multi-year modeling contract representing Ford Motor Company and Buick in Michigan’s automotive marketing industry, 1988 to 1998
- Founder of two photography businesses: Storybook Child Photography and its successor, Melissa Hutchinson Photography
- Brand ambassador for Savvi Clothing since 2020
FAQs
How old is Melissa Sinkevics?
Melissa Sinkevics was born on July 13, 1972, in Dearborn, Michigan.
What is Melissa Sinkevics known for?
She is known for winning Miss Michigan Teen USA in 1988, for her career in modeling and photography, and as the mother of Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.
Where is Melissa Sinkevics from?
She was born and raised in the Dearborn area of Michigan, near Detroit, and attended Divine Child High School before graduating from the University of Michigan in 1995.
Is Melissa Sinkevics married?
Yes. She married Chris Hutchinson, a former University of Michigan football player and now a practicing physician, in June 1995.
What does Melissa Sinkevics do for work?
She runs Melissa Hutchinson Photography, a family and child photography business, and has worked as a brand ambassador for the clothing line Savvi since 2020.
Who are Melissa Sinkevics’s children?
She has three children: Mia Hutchinson, a photographer and creative director; Aria Hutchinson, Miss Michigan USA 2022; and Aidan Hutchinson, a Detroit Lions defensive end and 2021 Heisman Trophy runner-up.
