ALEK WEK

"You are beautiful. It's okay to be quirky, it's fine to be shy. You don't have to go with the crowd."

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Alek belonged to a small village with no running water nor electricity. However, she was happy despite the daily challenges she faced. Unfortunately, when war broke out everything got worse. One monsoon season, the warning sirens wailed over their village, and Alek had to flee it with her family immediately. Her mother helped her overcome her fear of drowning as she crossed a flooded, raging river, with its bridges underwater. They had to trade packets of salt for basic food and a passport.

They successfully escaped to London, when a talent scout from a famous modeling agency approached her, asking to recruit her as a model. Her mother was unsupportive and refused to hear about it, avoiding any future pain to her daughter, but Alek persisted.

Wek had very dark skin and looked very different from any other model. However, this colour is what made her stand out, immediately becoming a sensation.

The moral that Alek teaches us is: You are beautiful. It’s okay to be quirky; it’s fine to be shy. You don’t have to go with the crowd.