A teenage schoolgirl who said she dreamed of bringing the world together by becoming the first-ever hijab-wearing ballerina looks set to achieve her goal after being awarded a life-changing scholarship. Sports fashion brand Björn Borg – named after the former number one Swedish tennis player – has announced it was moved to help 14-year-old Australian student Stephanie Kurlow after being “genuinely inspired” by the teen’s story.
Describing how the scholarship will bring her closer to her goal, Miss Kurlow said: “I plan on bringing the world together by becoming the very first hijab-wearing ballerina so that I can inspire so many other people to believe in themselves and pursue their dreams.
“I want to encourage everyone to join together, no matter what faith, race or colour and I hope to live in a world with greater acceptance.”
Miss Kurlow’s story first came to light after she recently launched a crowdfunding campaign in which she described how she converted to Islam in 2010 which, despite bringing “many positive aspects,” stopped her from performing because she thought there would “be no way” for her to become a professional ballerina, due to there not being any services targeted at Muslim girls.
