Black Press Media is a proud partner of the Miss BC pageants, with this year鈥檚 event taking place June 29 - July 1 in Fort Langley. As part of the People鈥檚 Choice Award, we are posting contestants鈥� biographies online for readers to learn more aboutthe women and girls from their communities and to put in their vote.

Black Press Media is a proud partner of the Miss BC pageants, with this year鈥檚 event taking place June 29 - July 1 in FortLangley. As part of the People鈥檚 Choice Award, we are posting contestants鈥� biographies online for readers to learn more aboutthe women and girls from their communities and to put in their vote.

Submitted by Nicole H. of Langley:

鈥淟ife loves those who dare to live it!鈥� I absolutely love this quote by Maya Angelou! Mainly because it asserts that one鈥檚 involvement and presence in life can make all the difference! I hope to use Miss BC to inspire and empower women to pursue their future. Having a great passion for people, I have followed a career path related to the helping field. At the age of 17, I worked with First Nations communities revered for their social turbulence and high rates of suicide in the 鈥楴amgis First Nations in Alert Bay and the Serpent River Community of Northern Ontario. Accompanied by my desire to connect with others, my personal experience with homelessness as a young person and my perseverance to overcome hardships, only heightened my desire to help others going through painful or trying experiences.

I have had the eye-opening opportunity to work with youth under the umbrella of the Ministry of Children and Family Development. An experience that I hold close to my heart, and would describe working with some of the most troubled young people of our society as a privilege. This experience greatly developed by insight towards understanding those who for the most part have a hard time being understood.

I have spoken at events such as the National Women鈥檚 Day at the Reach Gallery in Abbotsford BC in 2013. An event dedicated to empowering women and promoting their rights and freedoms worldwide. I have also spoken at the Women鈥檚 President Organization during a presentation in New Westminster. Because of the collective nature and connectivity that it brings, interactive learning seminars are something I hold of great value and I aspire to pursue my career in Life Skills Coaching so that I too can inspire and empower women to seek and recognize the value in their potential.