IT MAY well be a 23-hour flight from Brisbane to London, but aspiring Goodna model Adhieu Ayuen Jongkuch will be too excited to get bored.
Adhieu, who goes by the modelling name of Omalo, has just won the right to represent Australia at the
world finals of the Top Model competition.
After winning her way through the preliminary rounds of Top Model Australia 20 year old Omalo travelled to Melbourne last weekend with 33 other aspiring models.
She said she was stunned when her name was read out as the winner.
“Honestly, words cannot describe how grateful I am that all 10 judges saw the potential in me, and I am super proud of myself,” she said.
“After so many years of trying to fit into the modelling industry, finally, my hard work has paid off.”
Top Model Australia has a track record of discovering new model talent, launching careers, and making dreams come true.
Many finalists and winners have signed with international agencies, worked as professional models, and travelled around the world.
From the age of five Omalo aspired to become a model, but it hasn’t been an easy path.
Omalo was born and raised in Kenya, and endured years of hardship while residing at the Kakuma Refugee Camp, before relocating to Australia.
“My journey to Australia was one of the best things that ever happened to me,” she said.
“I have to thank my beautiful mother. She started our process of coming to Australia with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to better our lives.
I will forever be grateful I get to call Australia home.” “Throughout these years I have been trying to fit into the
modelling industry but there have been many difficulties, people were quick to criticise.”
“While it’s been a tough road I did not give up, I kept searching for opportunities and luckily I found Top Model Australia.”
In September Omalo will front the London judges and after that who knows.
Just getting to the finals will put her in front of international photographers looking to capture the first shots of the next top model.
