Finalist Miss Teen Canada 2023

Hello,

Hi! My name is Véronique, I am a 19 year-old woman with a passion for singing, ice hockey, and teaching. My ambition in life is to become a teacher so that I can mentor youth and especially young women. I am a survivor of sexual violence myself and I want to share my story so that other young women who will go through this ordeal can recognize themselves and see that it is possible to get through it. Originally from Notre-Dame de Kent, New Brunswick, I am currently in my second year of a Bachelor of Arts and Education majoring in French with a minor in English at Université Sainte-Anne in Nova Scotia. It was through my experience in the Air Cadet program from 2015-2021 that I learned to step out of my comfort zone. Prior to cadets, I suffered from bullying in school which caused me to lose my confidence and become very shy. Cadets made me the person I am now; an independent, courageous, go-getter woman. It is the lessons of perseverance and resilience I learned in cadets that gets me through difficult times, when things seem impossible to get through.

During the pandemic, all my activities were abruptly interrupted. This was a shock to my body which was used to being active all the time, affecting my physical and mental health. From May to July 2020, I suffered from stomach pains that made it painful to simply sit down. After 3 months and many visits to the emergency room, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. Because of this I gained weight, lowering my self-esteem. In addition, the end of my high school year and the beginning of my university experience were marked by two sexual assaults that furthered the damage to my overall health problems.

Over time, I began to accept the change and started making decisions to take control of my health. To get back in shape, I rediscovered my passion for ice hockey in grade 12 and played for the school team. After moving away to university, I continued to invest in my mental and physical health by joining the varsity cross-country team, playing with a local recreational hockey group, and coaching the Clare High School women’s hockey team. During the spring and summer, I am a resident advisor for the university’s immersion program, which involves organizing and leading all extracurricular activities. Lastly, one of the fulfilling decisions I made was to enter my first pageant, Miss Atlantic Canada, in May 2022.

My goal for the Miss Teen Canada pageant is to raise awareness about sexual violence and the importance of cultivating a culture of consent on university campuses. My determination, courage, leadership, kindness, and resilience make me a strong representative of the values of Miss Teen Canada.