Model Andrej Pejic underwent sex reassignment surgery

OHMYGOSSIP — Model Andrej Pejic will now be known as Andreja after successfully undergoing sex reassignment surgery earlier this year. The Serbian-born model will now go by the name Andreja following her successful male-to-female transition and after keeping the surgery secret for the past few months, she finally feels ready to share her news with the world.

Andreja, 22, told PEOPLE: “I want to share my story with the world because I think I have a social responsibility. I hope that by being open about this, it becomes less of an issue.

However, Andreja admitted it has not been entirely smooth sailing, even though she has wanted the surgery for years.

She said: “I was happy the moment had come – as happy as you can be before a surgery, [but]it was about three months before I felt like myself again.

“Every day is like a new revelation. I’m more comfortable than ever. I feel at 100 percent.”

The model also took to Facebook to talk about her surgery, writing: “I think we all evolve as we get older and that’s normal but I like to think that my recent transition hasn’t made me into a different individual. Same person, no difference at all just a different sex.”

And after struggling as a youngster, she made sure to reach out to those who might be questioning their own gender.

She wrote: “I would also like to to reach out to all young gender non-conforming youth out there: I know it’s hard, I’ve been there, but remember it’s your right to be accepted as what you identify with – you deserve the same respect as any other human being on this planet.”