"This journey was incredibly hard. I had to learn to embarass myself and to speak, which was a struggle," Nicole said after winning, adding: "I'm a dork and I'm 'America's Next Top Model!'"
On the season finale, Nicole said she'd led a "sheltered" life that contributed to feelings of social awkwardness at times. She even admitted to having spent a school lunch alone in the bathroom stall.
But the 5-foot-7-inch, 18-year-old blossomed sufficiently, in the eyes Tyra Banks and her fellow judges, to win a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl cosmetics, a fashion spread in Seventeen magazine, and representation from management company Wilhelmina Models.
Meanwhile, 5-foot-6-inch blond beauty Laura, 19, battled an occasionally tongue-tying case of dyslexia to place runner up. She wept when judges announced the verdict, but said her family would be proud.
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