Miss Universe® Canada 2008 - The Magic Continues

AGE: 25 | HEIGHT: 5'9" | HOMETOWN: ST. JOHNS, NL

Katie was born in St. John's, Newfoundland and attended Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is currently working as a bilingual flight attendant.

She has fulfilled all the requirements for a Bachelor's degree and is in the process of completing a thesis for an Honours degree. Katie has a GPA of 4.06 and she plans to pursue a Master's degree.

Sponsored by: Ropewalk Tailoring & The Lady Tailor, Take the Plunge, Gallery Shoes, UPS Store- Peter So, Family and Friends.

Biography (click to open) ±

At a young age she developed a passion for the performing arts, which eventually led to her to have both a modeling and a classical ballet career taking her across Canada and aboard. She has attended and danced with several ballet schools and companies both nationally and internationally including The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Alberta Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Ajkun Ballet Theatre in New York, Atlanta Ballet School as well as The International Ballet Dance School in Prague, Czech Republic.

Developing a passion for travel and learning about diverse cultures was a great inspiration for her to study abroad in different countries and eventually become a flight attendant.

Katie remains very active in the world of fitness which she pursues daily. She can be found either volunteering as a fitness instructor or working out. In addition to her workload, she has also managed to volunteer with The Girl Guides Association of Canada in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia as well as teaching Geology to elementary school children at the Geo Center in St. John's. Katie has also participated in charitable events designed for health causes including Canadian Breast Cancer and AIDS Awareness. She is also a volunteer tutor with the Newfoundland and Labrador Learning Disabilities Association.

Questionnaire (click to open) ±

Are you currently a student? If yes, where? Area of study:
I am currently finishing my honours thesis from Saint Mary's University. My thesis topic is environmental issues related to tourism in Cuba and Mexico. My GPA in my final term at university was 4.06 as I received all A's in my courses.

Are you currently employed? If yes, what is your occupation?
I have held various employment positions such as a sales associate, professional ballet dancer, model, waitress and fitness instructor but my main occupation is that of a flight attendant.

Have you completed secondary school? If yes, where?
I graduated (with distinction) completing a French Immersion High School Diploma from Holy Heart of Mary High School in St. John's Newfoundland.

Have you completed university/college? If yes, where?
I have completed the requirements for the degree bachelor of arts and I am in the process of finishing my thesis to fulfill the requirements for an honours degree at Saint. Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia
I have also completed an accelerated business program from Rotman School of business, University of Toronto.

Have you completed any technical/professional school? If yes, where? What subject?
I have completed several professional ballet programs throughout Canada, the United States and Europe. These include the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Ecole National de Ballet Contemporain, School of Alberta Ballet, Goh Ballet in Vancouver, Milwaukee Ballet School, Atlanta Ballet School and International Ballet in Prague.

Languages spoken Fluently (please include your native language if English is not your native language)
I speak English and French fluently and comprehend Spanish.

List any special training you have had (music, art, drama, dance, etc).
I have had the opportunity to study with over 15 professional ballet schools throughout Canada, the United States and Europe. These schools include The Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and International ballet in Prague, Czech Republic.

In what sports, if any, have you participated and how long have you participated in each sport?
I have trained in swimming, figure skating and diving both recreationally and competitively for 12 years. In addition, I am certified as an aerobics instructor with the YM/YWCA and I continue to pursue this activity on a part-time basis.

Please list any schools and universities (public/private/graduate/trade or technical) you have or are attending, as well as the area of study, graduation date and any degree or certification you received.
Saint Mary's University - Halifax, Nova Scotia - Fulfilled all requirements for a Bachelor of Arts degree and I am presently completing my Honours thesis.
Rotman School of Management - University of Toronto- Business Program completed.
Dalhousie University - Halifax, Nova Scotia - completed Cuban Studies in International Development at The Universidad de la Habana, Cuba.
What charity/charities have you supported with your time and/or resources over past two years?
I have been actively involved with tutoring at the Newfoundland and Labrador Learning disability association as well as tutoring at the Halifax regional library.
I am involved with the girl guides of Canada as a spark leader in both Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

What would be your "dream job" in life?
My dream job to is to have an opportunity to travel and learn more about different cultures. Being involved with classical ballet allowed me to travel and have these experiences while giving me the discipline to multi-task. I now work as a flight attendant and receive the same satisfaction as when i was a professional ballet dancer.

Name one person, other than your parents, who has had the most influence on your life? Why?
The person who has had the most influence on my life was Samuel Abramian who immigrated to Canada from Armenia as a ballet dancer. Through dedication and hard work, he achieved a professional status in the world of ballet. He managed to bring a new, yet warm dimension to ballet. He encouraged me to realize my potential in dance and to continue that ambition throughout my academic career.

What is the proudest personal accomplishment (other than being in this or any other beauty pageant competition)?
My proudest personal accomplishment was to have received the Canadian scholarship to further my studies in classical ballet at the Ajkun ballet theatre company in New York City. I was featured there as a ballet dancer performing with the Ajkun theatre company at the City Center in New York City with dancers from five world continents.

What is your career ambition and what are you doing or plan to do to accomplish that goal?
My career ambition is to become a flight attendant trainer. I want to educate other future flight attendants about a profession that i love. I am currently working as a flight attendant and taking aviation examinations about different aircrafts. I am also very passionate about the environment and I intend to pursue a master's degree in this field of academics.

Describe where you were raised and what your childhood was like.
I was born and raised in the city of St. John's, Newfoundland where I lived in an English-speaking community while attending a French Immersion educational institution from kindergarten to high school graduation.
My parents were always supportive of my non-academic interests where I was involved in ballet. I have one sister who was a National level Tennis player. During my academic life and dancing career, I always had a burning desire to travel and to learn more about different cultures throughout the world.

List any interesting or unusual jobs you may have had.
An interesting position that I enjoyed was when I danced with the Ajkun Ballet theatre in New York. This gave me the opportunity of realizing my goal of dancing with a professional company with dancers who represented five continents in the world.

I am currently employed as a flight attendant and I have the opportunity to travel and meet people. This is one of the most enjoyable jobs I have ever had, as I love to travel and see the world and learn about different cultures. I enjoy working as a flight attendant as it gives me a chance to travel and see the world as well as meet people.

List any volunteering you have done.
Volunteered as a Teaching Assistant at the Geo Centre, St. John's, NL
Volunteered as a Technical Projectionist at the International Geology conference entitled
"Air, Ocean, Earth and Ice on the Rock."
Volunteer tutoring at the Newfoundland and Labrador Learning disability association and the Halifax regional library.
Volunteered as an aerobic instructor at the YM/YWCA.
Volunteer as a Spark leader in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland
Volunteered during performances for Kittiwake Dance Theater
Volunteered as Pre-run Warm-up leader and participant in the CIBC Run for the Cure - Halifax
Volunteered as a model for several charitable fashion shows

Where is the most interesting place you have been?
I traveled to Madrid Spain, which I found to be very interesting as it had a modern infrastructure while preserving many of its historic neighborhoods and streets. The people are also very friendly and helpful.

What makes you unique and different from the other contestants?
As a child, I was very shy. However, after I went through school where I was disciplined in another language as well as having the opportunity to study at many professional ballet schools I gained confidence in myself. Going to different auditions for these professional ballet schools and being accepted helped build my self-confidence and I began to overcome being shy.

What is your philosophy of/in life?
Find something you love to do and you'll never have to work a day in your life.
Life Philosophy from Harvey Mackay

What do you hope to be doing in 10 years?
In Ten years I hope to be working as a flight attendant trainer after completing postgraduate studies in the field of environmental studies. Since I have been writing a thesis about environmental issues related to tourism and becoming a flight attendant I have developed a great concern about aviation and the effects it has on the environment.

Is there anything you would like to tell us about yourself? Something unique that has happened to you? Some interesting thing about you?
I have been studying dance since I was three years old. As I grew older, I realized that this was a career I wanted to pursue. When I was 13 years old I auditioned for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and I was accepted. This was a very big accomplishment for me as it made me one step closer to having a career. I was very fortunate in that I had the opportunity to become a dancer, as it was one of my childhood dreams.