Miss Teen Canada Int'l 1998
Nicole Gagnon

Photo by Helen Safonovs

Height: 5'5, Eye Colour: brown , Hair Colour: brown

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

In 1998 Canada welcomed the very first Miss Teen Canada International. She is Nicole Gagnon. She was born on December 31, 1981 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. A great singer and talker, she said this when asked abour her interests:"I love to sing...talk to people...travel...spend time with my family and friends and I love kids!" This is so true. I know from experience how nice a girl Nicole is, sweet, funny, and great to talk to. The best thing is true person, which is something that can't always be said for people in the pageant industry.

Here is Nicole with her sister Beckie and her brother.

Singing

Singing is one of Nicole's best talents. She won the Miss Teen Talent title at MTCI for singing and continues to be a very talented preformer.

At the Pageant

Photo by Helen Safonovs

In August of 1998, Nicole Gagnon competed at the Miss Teen Canada International pageant. This is what she said about her pageant experience:

I asked her why she entered MTCI and she said: "I entered the pageant while I was looking for talent competitions..I found MCI and noticed they had a talent portion, and then I also noticed they were going to Wonderland! I had never been there and being from the NWT for me that was a big thing too."

I then asked her, did you think you would win? She said:"After I won Miss Teen Talent Int'l 1998, I did not expect to win...usually when you watch pageants, once you win one category ...you don't usually win the overall title."

I asked her, who was your best friend at MTCI? She replied: "When there are only 8 girls you can't make a best friend...you have to get along with them all...although Kaitlyn was the most petite and I tended to watch her more like a little sister..MTCI was alot of fun along with hard work. I am sure most of the girls would say the same."

When I asked her what was the best thing about going to the Miss Teen Canada International pageant she answered: "The best about MTCI...it was so nice to meet all those girls...I have made some life long friends...like Leanne...we have a strong bond!"

After the crown was placed on her head and she took her walk as Miss Teen Canada International, she stepped off the stage and into her year long reign across Canada.

The Reign

When I asked her what her favorite thing she did during her reign she said: " The best thing about MTCI, well there is really no "one" thing... When I got to go back to the hospital where I was born and saw the delivery room I was born in was special! I also visited a hospital where I met lots of children with life threatening illnesses and saw them smile! I really can't pick one specific 'best' moment...any time I got to do something was great!"

I then asked her were she went during her reign and she said: "I went to the Grey Cup last November in Winnipeg and I was invited to St. John's, Newfoundland by Isabelle Fry to attend the Miss Teen Newfoundland Pageant in March of 1999."

What was the last thing she did during her reign you ask, well: "The last thing I did during my reign ...my last official duty was here in Yellowknife as a judge at a talent competition that my mother and I had arranged in June."

The 2000 Pageant

Nicole Came back to Toronto as the reigning Miss Teen Canada International. This is what she had to say about her last week as the titleholder:"The last official week of my reign was very disappointing. I was looking forward to meeting and spending time with the new delegates. In spite of all that was happening, I had every intention of having a good time and ending my reign with class and on a high note. I would have loved to crown my successor and even more so when I found out it was Crystal who won! To crown your successor, brings closure to your reign..I don't have that!"

The Future

I asked her what her plans were for the future pageant wise and beyond that. She said: " My plans for the future..I just graduated out of high school and I was thinking of law school..but recently I spent some time in the hospital with a friend and noticed that there is a serious shortage of nurses! I am looking into registering in the nursing program this coming semester. As for pageants, well I am not so sure. I like to compete but I think I will focus more on talent competitions.

I decided to finish my "interview" with Nicole by asking one final question:

I asked her what message she would give to all the other you ladies in Canada. She said: "My message to young women always has been the same...don't let go of your dreams, no matter how impossible they seem. If you run into hurdle, deal with it and go on! The only one who can make it happen ...IS YOU! Never give up!"

Thus concluded my interview with one of this country's loveliest young ladies. It is hard not to wonder what the future holds for Nicole, but we will just have to see, and whatever it is, I'm sure it will be a sucess.

If you would like to email Nicole please send all messages to:

missteencanada98@hotmail.com

Background from Kal's Spin