80 SEP/OCT 2019 MAXIM.COM
MAXIM COVER GIRL
AUSTRALIA 2ND RUNNER UP
Text by KEITH GORDON
Photographed by BREAU BRESSINGTON
SMALL TOWN, BIG IMPACT
A
ustralia is a land of abundance.
There’s endless natural won-
ders, numerous deadly animals
and of course, countless stun-
ningly beautiful women. That makes a
third place finish in the Maxim Australia
Cover Girl contest even more impressive
for Aussie bombshell Soraya. Originally
from Mount Isa, an outback city in North
Queensland, this small-town girl is going
global thanks to her contest success. But
the contest meant something more to the
emerging star as she worked to raise
awareness of K2, a charity that has been
positively impacting the lives of people
around the world through their mission to
help individuals with life challenges and
disabilities realize their full potential. Her
favorite part of the competition wasn’t the
acclaim or recognition, but according to
Soraya “knowing the money we raised
went to a good cause.”
When she’s not in front of the camera,
Soraya is enjoying all that her homeland of-
fers. “I love the outdoors, a nice café and a
good book,” she explains. You can also find
her in the gym, watching documentaries
or going for hikes in the jaw-dropping nat-
ural backdrop Australia can offer.
Soraya admits modeling has alwaysbeen an interest of hers, recalling her
childhood, remembering “I used to dress
up when I was a little girl and make my
family sit down in front of me and watch
me dance, sing, pose and walk down the
corridor with my best strut. My poor fam-
ily!”
But she hopes the success she’s
achieved in the contest will help not only
herself, but those around her, claiming “I
have faith that this [opportunity] will open
doors for me to further my modelling ca-
reer. I hope that I can use that status to
help out in the community with our youth
and teach them anything is possible.”