“People I looked up to a lot were, you know, Oprah because she had a rough childhood but overcame so many obstacles and broke barriers to become who she is. It was really eye opening to me: just because I had a rough childhood doesn't mean that I can't make something of myself.”

American fashion model, born 1997

Halima Aden is an American fashion model. Born in 1997, she came to wider attention in 2016, when she became the first woman to wear a hijab in the Miss Minnesota USA pageant, where she reached the semifinals. After the pageant, she drew national notice and signed with IMG Models. She later became the first model to appear in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue wearing both a hijab and a burkini, a milestone that extended her visibility in mainstream fashion media.