Chatham native has success in first beauty pageant she's entered

By Ellwood Shreve, Chatham Daily News

Monday, January 29, 2018 6:49:16 EST PM

Chatham native Roxanne Bilski recently won the provincial qualifier to represent Ontario at the Miss World Canada pageant being held on August 2018. (Handout/Chatham Daily News)

Roxanne Bilski will certainly remember her first pageant.

The 24-year-old Chatham native stepped up to be one of the delegates selected from the provincial qualifier for Miss World Canada pageant held Jan. 21 in Toronto. She will now represent the Toronto district, where she is currently living, on Ontario at the Miss World Canada Pageant, being held in August, which is the official preliminary to the Miss World Pageant.

“It is an honour to have been selected to represent my city and the Province of Ontario at the national Miss World Canada pageant,” Bilski told The Chatham Daily News.

“Being a title holder is an important responsibility, and I strive to represent my title with all of my best attributes, and to be a role model and leader in my community,” she added.

Although Bilski didn't have any previous pageant experience, she has been involved in such extracurricular activities as competitive cheerleading and dance.

“I entered this pageant to get more involved in the community, as well as improve on my communication and leadership skills, and build poise and self-confidence,” she said.

Bilski said this pageant gave her the opportunity to meet some incredible women who share similar standards and visions.

“It has been an amazing experience so far, and I am beyond excited at the journey that lies ahead and the opportunities this experience will present,” she said.

As a delegate for Miss World Canada, she is promoting the idea of “Beauty with a Purpose” by advocating for women's rights and gender equity through the campaign #OnHerTeam.

Bilski said the campaign raises awareness and seeks solutions on a number of fronts related to women in society.

“Throughout history, Canadian women have participated in many social movements, with the ultimate goal of achieving equality,” she said. “Although we have made significant progress, we still have a long way to go.”

She said some issues that women continue to face include workplace dynamics – dress code, power dynamics, glass ceilings – as well as the gender wage gap, and violence against women.

“It is important to continue to fight for women’s rights and gender equity and raise awareness in order to influence policy and move forward with real change in our homes, workplaces, and society,” Bilski said.

While achieving success at this pageant is major achievement, Bilski said another one she is very proud of is graduating from the Masters program in Criminology and Criminal Justice Policy with Distinction from the University of Guelph. Her university career has included volunteering as a student mentor and working as a teaching assistant for several undergraduate political science courses.

She said with her interest in law and politics, she aspires to be a policy analyst.

Her passion for pedagogy has led to her current position working in higher education at Pearson Education, where her role is to advise, coach and provide support to students who are completing graduate degrees online.

Local residents can vote for Bilski online at www.missworldcanada.net, beginning Aug. 12. 

She is also seeking sponsorship due to the many costs involved to participate as a Miss World Canada delegate. She can be reached at roxanneformissworld2018@gmail.com.

http://www.chathamdailynews.ca/2018/01/29/chatham-native-wins-first-beauty-pageant-shes-entered