Finalist Miss Canada 2017
Bridgette S
Hello,
My name is Bridgette, I am 26 years old and I was born and raised in Calgary AB.
In my school years I played many sports, my favorite of which was track and field. I competed at a provincial level for discus and javelin. Even to this day, I keep one of my winning discuses as a nostalgic souvenir, in my front foyer. Luckily, I was blessed enough to receive scholarships, awards and a multitude of nominations for my academic marks and athleticism.
After high school, I was keen to begin earning money and navigating my way through my professional life. I started off selling clothes at retail stores, then graduated to dispatching limousines and acting/modeling. I continued to work 4 jobs every week, until I found out I was pregnant at 22. Then everything changed. All of a sudden, I was no longer the priority in my own life, but rather this tiny, precious gift from God, that was growing inside me.
The pregnancy and birth were extremely difficult, painful and frightening. Although, it was nothing compared to the unyielding challenges and uncertainty of raising a child alone.
I was given the chance of a lifetime, to work as a receptionist for a technology company downtown. I jumped at the opportunity to improve my situation and provide a stable and consistent lifestyle for my daughter. It’s only been 2.5 short years since I started with the company and I have succesfuly worked my way up; moving to customer support and now to business development and sales.
After work, when I walk in the door at daycare and see my daughter running (full sprint) straight into my arms, I remember all the late nights I stayed up crying, I remember feeling anxious and fearful, and I think to myself….every single second of struggle was worth it.
I am proud to be a strong woman. I am proud to be a Canadian citizen. I am proud to represent my city and province in this competition.
I truly believe that without the trials and tribulations I’ve faced thus far, I would not be the role model, leader and mother I am today.