Finalist Miss Teen Canada 2021

Hello,

Hi! My name is Maija Savannah Hailey Dekoker (the “J” is silent.) I am sixteen, and I was born at Oshawa General Hospital on March 19^th, 2004. Why do I have two different middle names? When my parents were filling out my birth certificate and paperwork they couldn’t agree on a name so they ended up writing different names! My health card says “Maija Hailey Dekoker” and my licence says “Maija Savannah Dekoker.” I recently got my G1 licence on my 16^th birthday, since then my mom and her best friend have been teaching me how to drive and helping me prepare for my G2 test!

I was raised in Oshawa, but I currently live in Bowmanville with my Mother who is a Dental Hygienist. Two years ago I got a dog named Honey, she is a Morkie, and she has her own instagram @honey_themorkie_! Another big part of my life is my Grandma, we bond through shopping and our love of dogs. She has two small dogs and they have matching sweaters with Honey. My Grandma has taught me a lot, she used to baby sit me when I was young and my mom was in school and she taught me many things such as how to tie my shoes, how to count to 1000, the alphabet, and so much more! In elementary school i was involved in many different things such as soccer, volleyball, gymnastics, rep basketball, theatre, and dancing. Currently, I still train in boxing which I have been doing for 6 years. Through sports I learned how to handle injuries, perform under pressure, teamwork, and how to have fun whether you win or lose. Throughout my life I have learned many lessons but the most important are to be confident, to push yourself to be the best you can be in anything you do, and always have fun while doing it! Currently I keep busy with my jobs at Loblaws and a skiing resort, and the most important of all, high school. In the future I plan to go to university and be a Psychiatrist.

Growing up I used to watch Toddlers and Tiaras and Miss Canada, and I always wanted to wear a fancy dress and walk on stage. I would put my dresses on and my mothers makeup and pretend I was in a pageant. I used to think I wasn’t pretty enough or it was too late to start. When I saw a post on instagram showing the current Miss Teen Canada, the beautiful Keyena Kler, I was inspired! I am so proud I have been chosen to be part of this amazing event and I can’t wait to make new memories and friends!