Nurul Shamsul created history after being the first Malaysian to be selected in the finals of Miss Universe New Zealand 2018 wearing a hijab. The 20-year-old New Zealand-based student is of Malaysian and Indonesian heritage.Nurul went on to express her happiness on her Instagram handle. “I am so happy and excited to announce that I am in the finals for Miss Universe New Zealand!” she wrote.

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

The beauty queen is born and raised in New Zealand and studies in the University of Waikato.“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.” said Nurul.

She further went on to say, “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.”

The grand finale of Miss Universe New Zealand will be held on 4th August this year.