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Are you
currently employed? If yes, what is your occupation?
Yes
I work for L'Oreal Canada, as a sales rep for L'Oreal Paris, Maybelline
and Garnier. I am new to this role, and previously worked as an
Advertising Account Manager at an international advertising agency
in Vancouver. Prior to that I was in university and also worked
as a fashion model for almost 10 years, locally and internationally.
Have you completed secondary
school? If yes, where?
Yes. I graduated from senior high school at Centennial Secondary,
in Coquitlam BC.
Have you completed university/college?
If yes, where?
Yes. I graduated from Simon Fraser University with a Bachelor
Degree in Business. I majored in Finance and Marketing, and minored
in Communications. I also spent a year of my degree studying at
a small private school outside of London, England. The main purpose
of the 1 year program was to be immersed in the specific area
of study. For example, when studying art history the class would
take trips to museums such as the Louvre in Paris. We studied
history at the battlefields outside of London, in France and around
the city of London and went to watch Shakespeare plays at the
Globe Theatre in London.
Languages spoken fluently
(please include your native language if English is not your native
language)
English
List any special training
you have had (music, art, drama, dance, etc).
Music - I trained in piano growing up for 10 years, and even
entered competitions
Dance - I trained in various types of dance growing up - Tap,
Ballet, Acro, Hawaiian and Gymnastics
In what sports, if any, have you participated and how long
have you participated in each sport?
Skiing - recreationally from age 5
Swimming - recreationally from age 5, including a brief time spent
at the club level racing
Snowboarding - recreationally for the past 10 years, but also
a brief time spent in high school at a competitive level (high
school race program including the provincials for GS)
Dance - recreationally and moderately competitive levels since
age 7
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.
University of Western Ontario - 1st year international exchange
program to the International Study Centre at Herstmonceux Castle,
England
Simon Fraser University - bachelor of Business (Marketing / finance
and a minor in communications)
What charity/charities
have you supported with your time and/or resources over past two
years?
Variety Club
BC Children's Hospital Foundation
The greater Vancouver food bank society
St. Paul's Hospital Foundation
Children's Wish Foundation (this was 3 years ago)
What would be your "dream
job" in life?
There are so many! I'm ambitious.
My dream would be to build and run my own international fashion
empire, such as a high end shoe / accessories line.
But, I would also like to make sure at lot of my time and resources
were spent on drawing attention and support to children's charities
such as the BC Children's hospital foundation.
Name one person, other
than your parents, who has had the most influence on your life?
Why?
I didn't have a role model growing up, but as I get older
and more interested in international issues I've come to respect
many women in the public eye. I think Queen Rania of Jordan is
a fantastic role model. I think what she has done to open up dialogue
between North America and the Middle East on her you-tube channel
is fantastic. She has contributed a lot to humanitarian issues
and strives to be as involved and accessible as possible.
What is the proudest personal
accomplishment (other than being in this or any other beauty pageant
competition)
Graduation from university was a great accomplishment. At
the time I didn't really think so, but looking back it was such
a proud moment for me and my parents. It's such an accomplishment
to spent 4 years studying and learning, especially at such a young
age.
What is your career ambition and what are you doing or plan
to do to accomplish that goal?
I would love to build an international empire, in luxury goods
or accessories. Somewhat similar to what Tamara Mellon did with
Jimmy Choo. I'm very ambitious. I think my past experience working
in advertising was a great introduction to how brands are established
and maintained, and how to communicate brands to the public. As
well, my current position at L'Oreal has endless grown opportunities,
and is a great learning tool for the beauty industry, which has
close ties to fashion. I've also thought about going back to school
to earn an MBA, so I can understand more specifics about moulding
a business and growing it.
Describe where you were
raised and what your childhood was like.
I had a pretty amazing childhood. I grew up in very suburban
neighbourhood, where all the children played together and the
parents were friends. My family was fortunate enough to always
have my mom at home, and my dad ran his own business, so we had
the flexibility to travel often. As a family we took a lot of
trips to visit relatives abroad, as my parents are both immigrants
to Canada. It was great to be able to see other cultures, but
return home to a very safe and stable environment. During the
week we kept busy with things like piano, dance, gymnastics, swimming
and brownies. On the weekends during winter we often went skiing,
or during the summer spent the time swimming or at the beach.
I hope one day my children can have the same childhood I did.
List any interesting or
unusual jobs you may have had.
I once worked as a hat model at the United Emirates Race Derby
in Sydney Australia! I got to walk around the race track in designer
duds, and a big fancy hat. It was fabulous!!
List any volunteering you
have done.
I've done a fair amount of volunteer work over the years.
When I was studying in England, I volunteered at the local primary
school, and helped to read stories to the kindergarten class.
I also worked as a Fundraising Coordinator for the Children's
Wish Foundation in Vancouver, right after university. I organised
a group of 30 to help at the Vancouver Food Bank one Christmas,
and have spent time helping at the BC Children's Hospital Foundation
telethon and events for the variety club of BC. I also like to
attend events that support other local charities!
Where is the most interesting
place you have been?
I've done a fair amount of travelling, so I've been to many
interesting places.
Last summer I was in Croatia, and I found it very different that
anywhere I'd been previously. It was a blend of gorgeous scenery
and coasts, but also such unbelievable history. I was to 2 Unesco
World Heritage sights while I was there for only 2 weeks. As well,
the language barrier made it difficult, but also very interesting,
as I've only been to predominantly English speaking countries
before. I think there are so many places in the world to explore.
I can't wait to go on another trip!
What makes you unique and different from the other contestants?
I think all the contestants are unique. But, I am individual
because of my specific life experiences and my ambition. I'm a
little older than the majority of the contestants, and have had
the opportunity to already test the water living in 3 different
countries, as well as finishing university and moving onto 3 different
careers (Model, Advertising Executive, Sales Rep). I've also had
the opportunity to travel a lot because of having family spread
all over the globe. I've also been majorly ill, which gives you
a sense of perspective as you slowly recover.
What is your philosophy
of/in life?
Work hard, dream big, don't give up and always have fun doing
it!
What do you hope to be
doing in 10 years?
Running my empire.
Is there anything
you would like to tell us about yourself? Something unique that
has happened to you? Some interesting thing about you?
Something most people don't know is that I was born with a
congenital heart disease. I've since had 3 major operations to
fix problems such as holes in my heart, faulty valves and aneurisms.
The last surgery I had was roughly a year ago, but otherwise I
was a little baby when I had the first 2. I can't imagine how
traumatic it must have been for my family, as I was small, but
as I was an adult for my last open heart surgery, it's given me
a different perspective/appreciation for life. Recovering was
a struggle, but as they say, what doesn't kill you will only make
you stronger. I'm now a big believer in this statement!
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