Rikkie Valerie Kollé, who is 22 years old, recently became the first transgender person to be named Miss Netherlands.
The young model can now compete in Miss Universe because she won Miss Netherlands. She will be the second transgender woman in history to fight on an international stage.
Later this year, the Miss Universe show will be held in El Salvador. Kollé will be one of the contestants, along with women from 23 other countries.
Kollé wrote a heartfelt message about her win, saying that she had made her community happy and shown that transgender women should be allowed to compete in pageants.
In an Instagram post, the new Miss Netherlands said that the event taught her a lot and that she couldn’t find the right words to describe how happy she was to win.
“Yes, I’m a trans woman, and I’d like to share my story as one, but I’m also Rikkie, and that’s what makes this so special. I accomplished this using my strength and loved every minute of it,” she said.
The judges for Miss Netherlands said that Kollé improved the most over the course of the competition.
“This finalist has shone throughout the show and made the most progress along the way.
“She has a powerful story and a clear goal. According to the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, the judges said, “We are sure that the organization will enjoy working with this young woman.”
Before she was named Miss Netherlands, Kollé participated in season 11 of Holland’s Next Top Model. After competing in eight episodes, she came in second place.