One Carleton student is heading off to her biggest competition yet—Miss Canada Petite pageant.
20-year-old linguistics and psychology student Carolyn Joan Simon said she first discovered her passion for beauty pageants in her late teens.
Originally from the Elsipogtog First Nation in New Brunswick, Simon decided to apply to be in the running for the Miss Canada Globe pageant where she became a delegate for Miss Canada Petite.
According to Simon, she was not fully on board with joining at first, but later got persuaded to apply after talking with a friend.
“I thought of joining Miss Canada Globe after a friend of mine competed in it in 2013, representing the province of New Brunswick,” she said. “I have a strong message to present.”
Simon almost delayed her application, she said, but was encouraged by another friend. She applied, and was delegated to Miss Petite because of her height—five feet five inches.
Although Simon is hoping to gain better social skills through the pageant, her main goal is to have people hear her message.
“I am trying to raise awareness of suicide prevention. Sadly, this is something that has affected me personally. I’ve lost a loved one from suicide and other friends of mine have attempted suicide,” she said. “This left me shaken and reminded me that the topic is still very important and it’s unfortunate that it isn’t brought up more.”
Simon said she has also experienced attempted suicide herself and wants to help influence those who are suicidal and decide to seek help.
“I have also been in the place where I thought about suicide but the support of my family, friends, and my boyfriend got me through that rough spot. I want people to be aware that it’s still a huge thing and I want to encourage people to take workshops on suicide intervention, at least to be more informed of it.”
She said she took a workshop on suicide intervention, and “benefited from it in a very personal way.”
Competing for Ottawa not only gave Simon the opportunity to represent a place she has grown to love, but has taught her to appreciate Ottawa more.
“Representing Ottawa means a lot of things. I came here from New Brunswick in 2011 and have since considered it my second home. I love the touristic aspect of Ottawa, so many things to see! There are so many cultures and I love that Ottawa is so diverse,” she said.
“This is a huge honour and I hope to be a great ambassador for the areas that I love. Ottawa has become home to me.”
