Anne Kasthuri Saverimuthu, reigning Miss York Region and a Top Ten Finalist for Miss Canada Globe, is flying to Florida this May to represent Canada at an international pageant. Here is her story:

Born and raised in Markham, I grew up in a home consumed by second-generation ideologies and an immense pressure to succeed in every aspect of my life. Pageants, however, were not on my parents' checklist of milestones and achievements.

 

The pageant world, for the most part, is known to be a Caucasian dominated playground.  In my experience, most individuals are quick to label pageants as superficial contests of physical appearances and false smiles.  However, I have discovered that it takes an overwhelming amount of hard work and dedication to compete in these competitions.

 

I was quite hesitant at first, since I am clearly a minority and have no prior experience in pageantry.  Despite this, I set aside my insecurities and applied to become a contestant. I passed the regional assessments and then moved on to the national pageant competition. The pageant itself lasted a full ten days, with practice starting from as early as 6am and ending at 2am the next day.  

Right from the beginning of my first pageant it was evident that I definitely stood out, not only in appearance but also in terms of how I chose to approach the pageant. Choosing to embrace my differences instead of hiding them, I incorporated my Tamil background in all aspects of the competition. For my costume component (which was designed to express Canadian heritage in an attire format) I handmade a design that showcased my roots, as seen in the picture below.  

 
For the ten days that I was competing, I strived to recognize both of my cultures. I also created a platform based on Covenant House - a charitable organization advocating to diminish the present issue of homeless youth in Toronto.  This is a cause I am quite passionate about. What may have seemed like a superficial endeavour to others, quickly transformed into a pursuit of purpose. I  came out within the Top Ten of my category from an original pool of a 1000 applicants.  
Competing in the Miss Canada Globe competition allowed for several things to happen in my life.  Firstly, I am able to proudly represent Canada, a nation filled to the brim with diversity and culture. Secondly, it has given me the opportunity to represent and bring awareness to a cause I feel strongly about on a large pageantry platform.  Lastly, I have been given the chance to break down barriers of the preconceived pageant world.  
I hope to continue to break barriers as I head to Florida this May. I will be representing Canada in an international pageant, not only as a Canadian but as an individual of Tamil heritage. I will do my best to represent all that I value; my character, nation, culture, and pursuit of social change.  I hope to be a source of pride to a nation that celebrates it's 150th year of being at the forefront of all that is progressive.  
You can show your support and learn more about my international pageant pursuits by clicking and sharing the following links:

https://www.gofundme.com/annesinternational

My Facebook Fanpage:

https://www.facebook.com/annekasthurysave/