Malaysian-Born Hijabi, Nurul Zuriantie, Places Fifth At Miss Universe New Zealand 2018

Main image via Instagram/@nurulzbshamsul

If you haven’t heard yet, Nurul Zuriantie is the first Malaysian-born hijab wearing contestant to make it to the finals of Miss Universe New Zealand. On Saturday night, the pageant’s Facebook page announced the results and Nurul managed to finish in fifth place.

 

Alhamdulillah for 5th place! Thank you to everyone for all of the love and support! It means so much me! This is only the beginning and I can’t wait for what Allah has planned for me!!! Today is also my 21st birthday so I am off to my next journey in life! 💖💖💖

A post shared by Nurul Shamsul 🌺 (@nurulzbshamsul) on Aug 4, 2018 at 4:00pm PDT

Nurul announced her place in the beauty pageant’s finals in an emotional Instagram post last month.

 

Alhamdulillah! I am so happy and excited to announce that I am in the finals for Miss Universe New Zealand! As a hijabi I will be the first in New Zealand to make it to the finals and one of the first in the world to ever do so. I hope that this opportunity will help break boundaries and stereotypes. I also hope that together we can redefine the meaning of what beauty is. ❤️❤️❤️ #missuniverse #missuniversenz #munz #journeytomissuniverse

A post shared by Nurul Shamsul 🌺 (@nurulzbshamsul) on Apr 30, 2018 at 1:17am PDT

Nurul was born in Ampang, Selangor, but was raised in New Zealand from the tender age of five years old by her Malaysian father and Indonesian mother.

 

I'm so grateful to have such loving parents. ❤️

A post shared by Nurul Shamsul 🌺 (@nurulzbshamsul) on Nov 1, 2016 at 7:40pm PDT

Despite growing up in Morrinsville, New Zealand, Nurul has always kept her Malay and Indonesian roots, culture and traditions close to her heart.

 

To new hopes and dreams. May democracy prevail. 🇲🇾 It is important to always know who you are and where you come from. Stick to your culture and your traditions because it’s such a shame when people assimilate to fit in. Be proud of all that you are. ❤️ From my own experiences, what I love about New Zealand is that people are more accepting of different cultures and ethnicities. This is what makes New Zealand unique- all the different cultures we have. So don’t be afraid to embrace who you are and don’t forget about your roots. 🌺

A post shared by Nurul Shamsul 🌺 (@nurulzbshamsul) on May 10, 2018 at 11:12pm PDT

The 20-year-old Psychology student at the University of Waikato expressed her gratitude to the people who had supported her throughout Miss Universe New Zealand and said that her best moment was when she was announced as one of the top five finalists and she “could see both [her] parents looking really proud”.

Although Nurul is not the first hijab-wearing Muslim to compete in Miss Universe, she had created history as the first Malaysian to do so. Congratulations, Nurul; us Malaysians are also super proud of you!

via GIPHY

Info via The Star and Cleo