2 years ago, I embarked on a journey that would change my life forever… I entered my very first pageant.
As a little girl, I always remember watching Miss Congeniality and Sandra Bulock as a ‘pageant girl’ but I never would have guessed that one day that would be me.
When I entered Miss Teen Ontario East in April of 2018, I didn’t own a pair of heels or even a dress. I went to Payless the night before pageant weekend, picked up the shortest heels I could find and borrowed an amazing dress from Pati Dillabough. Walking into that weekend, I had no idea what to expect. I learned so many skills and met my second family for the very first time. Later that weekend, I was crowned Miss Teen Ontario East 2018.
Over the course of the next year, I got the opportunity to travel Eastern Ontario with my local platform of Childhood Cancer Awareness. The people I met and the memories I made will forever stay in my heart.
Fast forward to June 2019, when I competed in my first international pageant. I decided in May that I would represent Ontario at the Miss North America Pageant. Competing in Florida gave me the confidence I never knew I needed and I met some amazing women along the way.
Just 2 short weeks after I returned home from Florida, I travelled to Toronto to represent Eastern Ontario at the Miss Teenage Canada pageant. I felt so in my element and as pageant week continued, I could not help but think of the girl I was when I ented MTOE to the girl that was competing for the National title.
Winning Miss Teenage Canada 2019 was everything I could have asked for and more. Never did I think that I would be able to take my local platform and share it with the rest of Canada. This has been a journey that I will never forget and will forever be grateful for.
If you had of told 10-year-old me that I would one day not only enter a pageant but win, she would have told you that you were crazy. To all the little girls out there who have always wanted to be a princess, chase after it. The world is in your hands and no dream is too big.
