Halima Aden

“I am Minnesotan.”

“I haven't received any pressure to be anything other than myself, and for that, I am so grateful.”

“You don't let being the first to do it stop you or get in the way.”

“I say this all the time, but my hijab, it really is my crown, and it's something that I bring to the table. It's something that makes me unique. It shows the world who I truly am.”

“For a really long time, I thought being different was a negative thing. But as I grew older, I started to realize we were all born to stand out; nobody is born to blend in.”

“I mix things from my Somali culture and my American side.”

“I feel bad for my little cousins who don't see themselves being represented, or the little girls in my community who won't have a chance to see a Disney princess... who resembles them.”

“It's always been hard trying to find the right pieces that go together, but it's always been something that interests me - finding new ways to be fashionable and cute but still being modest.”

“A lot of people had a misconception that I would be the perfect poster child for Islam. So I got a lot of Instagram comments like, 'Oh, you don't have your neck covered, you're not a Muslim!' My thing is, stop judging women, especially if you're a man, because you don't know the responsibility that comes with wearing a hijab.”

“I love Somali foods like canjeero, a pancakelike bread; same for pizza, burgers, and sushi.”

“I will stand up for a girl who is being harassed or bullied for choosing to wear revealing clothes. I will stand up for that!”

“I did notice growing up that there are so many things, obstacles and things, that people think you can't do because you're Muslim or because you're wearing a hijab. You hear a lot of no's. That was something that I wanted to see change.”

“I made a lot of mistakes growing up, trying so hard to fit in. I got so lost trying to please everybody.”

“For me, being able to say that my first-ever photo shoot was with one of the most well-known and iconic fashion photographers in the world is unbelievable.”

“Be who you are. It's easy to feel like you have to blend in, but it takes courage to live your life with conviction and embrace the person that you are.”

“Being Somali, being Muslim, it's always something I've been very proud of.”

“I choose to focus on the positive.”

“I know that for me, a lot of people will look at me and they'll think 'Somali' or 'outsider' instead of 'Minnesota.'”

“I want to show people there's not just one way of being Muslim.”

“Wearing modest clothing is a belief, and I'm not going to say that every Muslim woman is in my shoes, but the majority of us do have a choice.”