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[2]By Laural Samson [3]
BELLEVILLE – After ten gruelling days training and competition, Annie-Marie Turcotte has brought home the Miss Canada Globe [4] crown to Hastings and Prince Edward County.
“I am so baffled that this is my life now. And I’m so grateful for it.”
After spending the last two weeks in Toronto, competing against 15 other women all vying for the title, Turcotte was first awarded Miss Physique and Miss Elegance for her confidence and style.
“I think it was the moment, after I was awarded those, that I was like ‘oh my gosh, this might actually happen. This might be real.’”
Then she was awarded the highest title.
“I was fortunate enough to be awarded Miss Canada Globe then, which is a huge honour and I am so grateful for that. And it still doesn’t feel real – I don’t think it’s fully set in yet – but I am still overjoyed about it.”
Winning Miss Canada Globe means competing internationally at Miss Globe in August 2021, which Turcotte says usually takes place in Albania. From there, Turcotte will also be competing in a second competition, Princess of the World, which is a seven-day cruise to seven countries in Europe.
“It’s been a bit of an adjustment too, just because there are a lot of responsibilities to uphold.” Turcotte said about the commitments that come with being Miss Canada Globe. “There’s a lot of eyes on me as a role model.”
Alongside competing internationally, Turcotte was also awarded money that will go towards continuing her education in marketing, once she finishes her business administration program at Loyalist College.
And now that she is Miss Canada Globe, Turcotte says that she is dedicated to raise awareness and change for her platform for better mental health resources in local communities.
“As far as my platform goes, now I get to put into action all the plans that I was hoping to get to do. I’m going to be reaching out to the local mental health resources that we have here in Belleville, Quinte West, and surrounding areas to see what I can do,” Turcotte said.
“Firstly, just raising awareness with what we do have, and secondly to help bring more resources here or maybe work together with other resources. And then hopefully doing a partnership as an ambassador for some of them so I can be a bigger advocate for what I already am.”
This platform is near to Turcotte’s heart, as she struggled with her mental health through high school.
“I just want to be a big help and help people who are struggling, just like I did.”
And Turcotte now has the platform to make a change, thanks to the platform that the Miss Canada Globe provides.
And for those who are skeptical about pageantry, Turcotte has only good things to say about the process.
“It was easily the most empowering environment I’ve been in.”
According to Turcotte, this is because the competing girls are supported by previous winners, get to spend a week modelling for Toronto Couture Fashion week, and are taught how to tap into their inner confidence.
“What I’ve found is it goes against the stereotypical pageant mindset of, like you get your single judging and judging based off your look and your walk. It’s a lot deeper than it seemed, which is really refreshing.”
And for Turcotte, the entire nine-month process leading up to the pageant was worth it.
“It’s exciting that one opportunity turned into many, many opportunities. It’s reassuring that my time invested has paid off, which is very nice.”