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.

I truly believe diversity is beauty.

If there's one message I want people to take away is never compromise being your authentic self. Even if that means making others uncomfortable.

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.

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

I don't want to be taller; I want to be myself.

Having the chance to walk at New York Fashion Week for Yeezy and Milan Fashion Week for Alberta Ferretti and Max Mara in a hijab is so significant. It sends a message to young women everywhere that you can be beautiful for just being you.

I thought for a very long time that I had to conform or maybe change the way I look, or maybe the hijab was dimming my beauty. I took a moment, and then I realized, you know what, there's a lot of girls who do wear this, and this is their reality. It just made me even more prouder to wear it.

I know I got to do something that's one in a million, to escape a refugee camp, to come to this country and have so many doors open for me. So I want to go back and make a difference and give motivation or hope to all the kids that never got to leave or have the privilege that I did.

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!

Diversity and inclusion are always something industries should strive for.

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

Sometimes I'll go with a long hijab, or sometimes I'll wear my scarf and go somewhat business-y with a blazer. Every day is something new.

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

America has always been a land of diversity, basically made up of immigrants, and that is something I want to see continued. It's something I'm proud of when people think of America.

Back in high school, I didn't ever see a Muslim homecoming king or queen - there was never even anyone nominated. It just seemed for a lot of those events, Muslim kids were not being included, and it was probably our fault too - no one was going for it, but no one was trying to push us to do it, you know?

The fashion industry really welcomed me with open arms and open hearts. They've been very accepting of my faith. I have strict wardrobe requirements, and that's something they've upheld.

Moving to the U.S. was an adjustment. I noticed that the kids played in groups. Back in Kakuma, everyone played together.

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.

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

I am Minnesotan.

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 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.

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

When you have a lot of women in our state that do wear the hijab, we should be able to see that everywhere.

I feel like I'm here to bust those misconceptions and stereotypes of Muslim women.

When people put labels on us, it doesn't always enclose everything that we are. So even though I'm proud to be Somali, I'm proud to be American, at the end of the day, I'm still Halima, and I take things from both sides and combine them, and I make my own little category. I'm me!

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.

Every little girl looks up to her mom so much - that's your first hero.

I have much more to offer than my physical appearance, and a hijab protects me against 'You're too skinny,' 'You're too thick,' 'Look at her hips,' 'Look at her thigh gap.' I don't have to worry about that.

Society puts so much pressure on girls to look a certain way.

My mom and grandma, growing up, one thing they emphasized was that you need to make sure that anything you put on your skin is also digestible by the body. For example, if something isn't safe for me to eat or consume, it's probably not good for your face. So I do a lot of natural remedies.

Moisturizing every night is important. When you're 50 or 60, it's going to show if you don't take care of it. You have to prepare when you're young, so you still have that healthy, glowing skin when you're 60 or 70.

Product-wise, I use a morning and night cleanser. I'm really not a brand person.

I feel like with anything you choose to do in this world, there are always gonna be people who disagree. But I've had a lot more supporters than critics.

I choose to focus on the positive.

A lot of people have the misconception that, as a Muslim woman, I am somehow against women wearing bikinis. No, I want women to feel comfortable and confident in whatever they wear.

My goal is to send a message to Muslim women and young women everywhere that it's okay to break stereotypes and be yourself.

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.

When I was younger, I didn't have that type of person that I could look up to and be like, 'OK, this is someone who dresses like me and I relate to.' I didn't have that growing up, so to give that opportunity to a younger generation of women - and not just Somali women, but anyone who feels different - that means a lot to me.

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.

You don't have to show a lot of skin to be beautiful.

What I do is I always try to educate myself about my neighbors, about the people I meet.

We all have different things that make us strong and weak, but if we communicate and we really open ourselves and open our hearts, you're going to be amazed by the things that you can learn.

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

To be honest, before I joined the industry, I knew very little about the fashion world, and I hardly knew any name brands. Probably because the price tags were a little too high, and home girl needed to work.

I like shopping at retail places like JC Penney or Macy's, and maybe buying a top or a shirt, and then buying a skirt from Rue 21 or Forever 21 because they have the maxi skirts, which I appreciate so much, and then topping it off with something that I buy from a Somali shop.

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.

What I have learned is that designers are willing to tell the world that they are here to empower women from all different backgrounds and different walks of life.