Finalist Miss Canada 2020
Vanessa R
Hello,
I’m Vanessa, a quirky bohemian model from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu with a soft spot for ugly animals and a laugh that’s so infectious it gets me quarantined at airports. Having obtained multiple degrees from Université de Montréal centering on studies in comparative literature and film, I will be continuing my education at McGill University in the Fall with the intention of becoming an international professor, teaching French as a second or third language, when my fiance and I invade europe three years from now in pursuit of his postdoctoral research in computational oncogenetics.
Passion is my philosophy. My calling. A life without passion is like a poutine without sauce — dry, boring, cheap, and suspiciously American. An actress, artist, and retired serial heartbreaker, I feel emotion with excruciating intensity, and because of that, or perhaps in spite of it, I strive to always be affected by life and everything in it, to bare my soul to the heat of the moment so that the burn scars me and I find myself forever changed. This desire for transformative connection attracts me to volunteer in palliative care assistance, as nothing is more profoundly intimate than listening to the stories and perspectives of the dying. The best life lessons are learned from those who no longer need them.
While I also try to help others as best I can by donating to and supporting Share the Warmth, a nonprofit organization that provides food and services to Montrealers in need, I hunger to make a greater impact going forward by establishing a multinational foundation for mental health research and outreach, pairing patients who lack support with researchers studying their conditions. In partnership with universities across Canada, this foundation will subsidize the cost of counseling, psychiatric therapy, and medication for patients who agree to participate in research studies, and will also help to offset costs of genomic sequencing for individuals who require personalized care. If our first rounds of fundraising go as planned, the foundation should be on its feet as early as Spring, 2021.
My advocacy for mental health outreach and mental illness de-stigmatization is an extremely personal one. I’ve struggled with a genetic 5-hydroxytryptamine disruption my whole life, which has at points pushed me toward self medication and even the painful certainty of a violent relationship as a means of coping with the extreme anxiety inherent in my disorder. Mental illness can be isolating, especially when adequate support and awareness isn’t available. In light of that, I’ve been documenting my mental health struggles in recent years to put an end to the ridiculously prevalent idea that mental illness is somehow a character flaw. I hope to be able to take that advocacy forward as an official Miss Canada ambassador; to be a role model for those thousands of neurodivergent kids who remain generally misunderstood by society at large. I know you’re out there, and I want you to know you’re not alone. I see you. I love you. Stay brilliant.
Yours,
PS: I have learned through difficult experience what it truly means to be a strong woman. As a survivor of abuse and sexual harassment, I have had my sexuality weaponized and exploited, until ownership of my own body became a question, rather than an assumption. While I have emerged from those experiences more resilient than before, I dread the thought of my future children growing up in a culture where these dynamics are seen as commonplace and even tacitly accepted in the modeling, fashion, social media, and entertainment industries. If my example can serve as inspiration, I will proudly speak out for change, and I encourage my fellow Miss Canada finalists to do the same. We can be strong so that others don’t have to be.
Vanessa
If you’d Elected: what you would realize
Why vote for me!
If elected, I would use my position as Miss Canada Ambassador to springboard my charitable foundation and raise funds to offset the care needs of those suffering from untreated mental illness. This foundation will partner with universities and hospitals across Canada to supplement research grants that focus on understanding and treating overlooked patient populations, and will subsidize therapy and medication for patients who participate in research. I know first hand how dehumanizing the mental health system can be in this country, and how hard it is to speak up when you’ve been told your mind is “disordered”. You know what? I do suffer from a disorder. But I’m also smart, driven, passionate, creative, and unflinchingly unique. We gain nothing, as a people, from silencing minds that work differently from our own. Instead, practice compassionate validation. Respect. And most importantly, empower those who need it to seek help without shame. That’s the message I’ll be carrying forward as Miss Canada 2020.
True progress requires a collective will united behind a pioneering voice. I can be that voice, but without your support, I might as well be shouting into the wind. A Miss Canada title is more than an accolade to me; more, even, than a dream; it’s a declaration that my ideas are worth listening to — and as Greta Thunberg courageously demonstrated last year, the simple act of listening has the potential to unite a planet. The more you listen, the more the women in your life will speak, and the more we speak, the easier and faster our collective challenges will be overcome. Don’t you think it’s time we started listening to more women? Hi. I’m Vanessa. I’ve got a lot to say.