I’m 25 years old and Caucasian. I was born in a Christian family.

During my high school years, I pursued a modeling career. I can recall thinking “This is what I want. I want to be a model.” So my father was active in assisting me in this career path. We made profiles online, went through a few agencies. After many searches, I finally found an audition to be with an agency. They signed me on and from there began the training and prepping. I made contacts with scouts from different TV shows, modeling agencies, and film. A few months after working with the agency, I decided I no longer wanted to pursue modeling. I look back now and I believe Allah had a better plan all along for me to be where I am now, and not modeling and showing my body.

I found Islam and took my shahada (Islamic testimony of faith) one year ago. My journey to Islam began when I became friends with a Muslim for the first time almost two years ago. I was practicing Christianity at the time but I was always eager to be closer to God. Prior to meeting my Muslim friend, I had no idea what Islam was or who Muslims were. I can recall seeing hijabis but I never saw them different from one who didn’t wear hijab. I was brought up to love people no matter how they dressed or appeared. Alhamdulillah.

This Muslim friend of mine began to educate me about Islam and from that moment on I did my own research. I fell in love with the religion, and I finally found what I had been searching for. I spent the next five months studying Islam and reading Quran. I began dressing more modestly and I embraced the hijab before I took my shahada, finding comfort in the protection it was providing me. Islam taught me that it’s ok to cover yourself and be appreciated for your intellect. I feel more beautiful in hijab and although I struggled with it at first, I grew to love it. Now, I can’t see myself living without it. My mother grew to be accepting of me wearing hijab and now she fixes it before I walk out the door and wakes me up for Fajr (dawn prayer). Allahu akbar (Allah is the Greatest)!

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