Over the
weekend I had the pleasure of traveling to the beautiful town of Clayton situated
along the St. Lawrence River for the Miss Thousand Islands 2014 Pageant. I
should mention that the drive alone was absolutely stunning, and I really
encourage everyone to make a trip to the region at some point. Held at the
beautiful Clayton Opera House, this venue has been the home of the Miss TI
Pageant for many years.
This year’s pageant drew 10 extremely poised, intelligent
and talented contestants. After a fun opening number to Madonna’s “Vogue”, the
contestants competed in Lifestyle and Fitness, Talent, Evening Gown and
On-Stage Question. Each young woman was professional and showed great
enthusiasm about the program as well as their community. They also showed their
intelligence when answering some challenging questions provided by former
titleholders.
Anticipation was high by the end of the evening while we
all awaited the announcement of Miss Thousand Islands 2014. Drum roll please!
Miss Thousand Island 2014 is a 17 year old freshman at Queen’s University, and
her name is Olivia Grant. Olivia was kind enough to share a little about
herself with me, so here it is:
Miss Thousand Islands was Olivia’s first pageant. I would
say that’s a pretty good start, wouldn't you? She is currently studying film
and media studies with a dual major in drama. Olivia’s platform is titled Unedited Beauty which aims to promote
the universal acceptance that there is more than one definition of beauty as
well as eliminating the popular notion that there is only one definition of
beauty. Olivia feels a strong connection to her platform because she spent many
years struggling with low self-esteem due to a vascular disease that left a
large birthmark on her left thigh. One day she realized something that would be
life changing. “No person is the same and every person is beautiful, it’s as
simple as that.” Now beaming with confidence Olivia struts her stuff in the
Lifestyle and Fitness phase of competition on stage AND she did not cover her
birthmark. This is truly a girl who knows exactly what she’s made of.
Olivia says that her
biggest goal this year is to make a true change in her community. Having grown
up in the Thousand Islands region, Olivia says that she wants to give back just
a little of what the area has given to her. One thing is certain; I know that
we will see great things out of this young woman. 
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