IQALUIT
Chantel Caza is a poised 13-year-old. A 10-day period of 16-hour days filled with gruelling training and competitions in August was a life-changing experience.
Chantel Caza with grandmother
In her talent competition outfit at Miss Teen Canada Globe. - photo courtesy Tudja Noah |
So much so, she hopes more young women her age will take advantage of the opportunity provided by involvement in a beauty pageant several other Nunavummiut have already jumped on.
"As a child," began Caza.
"As a child," asks mom Tudja Noah, bursting out. She admits her child is growing up fast, too fast maybe, but she's clearly very proud of her.
"OK. As a young, young child ... I saw pageants on TV and I wanted my own crown," said Caza.
"There are so many benefits to it. And you're helping a cause. That's probably the biggest benefit there is."
Her wish was granted with two crowns. From a group of more than 70 young women from across the country, Caza was named Miss Teen Canada fifth princess, Miss Teen Nunavut, and, additionally, Miss Ambassador.
But here's another benefit. Before she took part in Miss Teen Canada in Toronto this past August, Caza couldn't even get through a class presentation for school.
"Confidence. I was very nervous with public speaking. I couldn't even speak in front of my class without bursting into laughter because of my nervousness. And now I'm completely comfortable in my own skin. I feel like I can do whatever," she said.
"I think it's based in being comfortable in your own body. Some girls go there and they're not really confident, they're really shy ... and they leave after being in front of a big crowd in a bikini and they won't even think twice."
Caza's mom says that was definitely Chantel.
"She really comfortable speaking like this but, when it comes to an audience, she would have a stage fright," said Noah. "An uncontrollable laugh."
Caza remembers having to do a particular presentation for her class.
"I looked at my teacher and I looked at my friend and I just started laughing for five minutes straight. I didn't even get to say what
I was going to say."
Yet, as an 11-year-old, Caza enlisted herself on Star Now - a web-based listing of auditions, jobs and talent for performing artists.
"Miss Canada had contacted her and we heard about some girls, locally, participating in Miss Canada. When they reached out to her when she was under-age, we had agreed that she would try out when she was old enough, which when she was 13," said Noah.
Mom says Caza had a lot of preparation to do, including raising funds, getting sponsorships and putting together little gift bags for each participant.
"And she had to write her own biography. I made sure it came from her. I just helped her edit."
In her biography, Caza, who is Inuk and French Canadian, writes: "My future dream career options are to become a veterinarian or a lawyer. My goal is to enter into a university with the best education available for either career options."
Her love of animals is what led to her choosing the Iqaluit Humane Society as her cause. Each participant in the pageant must choose a cause. For example, a fellow participant this year, 14-year old Saskia Curley of Rankin Inlet, chose food insecurity. Talia Maksagak, 22, of Cambridge Bay, now Miss Petite Nunavut, chose the Ottawa Inuit Children's Centre and its Bridging the Gap Program.
Caza's job as the reigning Miss Teen Nunavut will be to help fundraise and promote awareness for her cause. She must also make 10 public appearances over the year.
The young woman now attends Grade 9 at Inukshuk High in Iqaluit, after completing daycare to Grade 5 at Ecole des Trois Soleil, also in the capital, two years in French schools in the south and Grade 8 at Aqsarniq Middle School, where she worked on her Inuktitut - meaning she is well on her way to being trilingual.
She hopes to attend Nunavut Sivuniksavut, then go on to university.
As the fifth princess overall in the competition, Caza can take part in an international pageant in the future, taking Nunavut to the world stage.
