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

If you think people are against you and that you're a target, things will start appearing that way. I just go about my day, and I don't think anyone is out to get me.

I don't just want to support only Muslim women. I want to inspire women across the board, and I'm hoping they won't allow things to get in the way.

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

There are so many Muslim women that feel like they don't fit society's standard of beauty. I just wanted to tell them it's OK to be different; being different is beautiful, too.

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.