Young Werribee resident Akon Dhel has been named a state finalist in the 2020 Miss World Australia competition.
Miss Dhel and 30 other contestants took part in a preliminary final in Melbourne at the weekend. She was one of 17 to make it to state finals.
Miss Dhel, 20, said she entered the event to step outside her comfort zone.
“I was nervous, I’m not used to entering beauty pageants and talking about myself to a crowd, I’m not a model either, so I wanted to challenge myself,” she said.
“What I enjoyed most was meeting the other girls, it was really fun and I met lots of characters from all walks of life.”
Miss Dhel described herself as a “proud South Sudanese Australian”.
She arrived in Australia at the age of six, after being born in a refugee camp.
Miss Dhel is studying a three-year nursing degree and in the future hopes be gain employment as a nurse in the Australian Defence Force.
