Strathmore’s Miss Universe Canada candidate

Shannon LeClair
Times Contributor

 

Bailee Simonin, 21, is hoping to be crowned Miss Universe Canada in the spring of 2015. Simonin has lived in Strathmore her entire life, and has worked as a waitress and manager at Boston Pizza for seven years.
The Miss Universe Canada pageant will be her first beauty pageant. She also plans to compete in the Miss Calgary pageant, also being held spring of 2015.
“For about the last year, year and a half I have gotten into modeling and then it’s kind of worked its way into doing the pageant now,” said Simonin.
She is represented by Patti Falconer Agencies for her modeling, where she also teaches a kid’s modeling class every Saturday.
It all began when Denis Devila, the national pageant director from Toronto, visited Patti’s studio a couple weeks ago. Any young women interested in possibly being in the pageant were invited to attend and meet Devila for an interview, and to basically audition.
It was about a week and a half later when Falconer phoned Simonin to tell her she was accepted.
Training will begin soon for the contestants with a representative from Toronto.
“So they (will be) showing us runway, turns, etiquette. We do a little bit of hair and beauty, public speaking is a big thing to do with it,” said Simonin.
“They’re also really big into being healthy and being fit, so they’re going to talk a little bit about that. We do training right up until we go. I’m excited, nervous but excited. I think that your nerves are going to come along with it obviously but I believe I’m more excited than I am nervous.”
Each of the contestents in the pageant will be assigned a charity. Simonin doesn’t know yet what her charity will be, but knows she plans to host something in Strathmore at the Legion, and another event in Calgary.
There will be a bathing suit event, evening gown, and a humanitarian part, which is the charity, and the judges will sit down and see what the contestant has done. There will also be preliminary interviews with the judges. There are 10 judges, and each contestant has four minutes with each one. They will answer a random question and they are put on the spot to see how they handle it.
The pageant starts with approximately 65 contestants, it then gets cut down to the Top 20, then Top 10 and then the Top 5.
“Right now in preparation I am looking for sponsors to help sponsor me to get me to Toronto, all the girls have to come up with a bit of money for that,” said Simonin.
She has been going around town dropping off packages, looking for sponsors that will help with the cost of sending her to Toronto and other fees occurred with being in the pageant.
“Whatever companies, or businesses feel is comfortable with them or appropriate is fine, but that is my initial goal is to get to $5,000.”
Anyone wanting to help her with the trip can contact her at baileesimonin@gmail.com. Simonin will be in school for upgrading in January before continuing on to get a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and business.