Pageant Platform Magazine March/April 2018 pageant platform magazine march april 2018 final | Page 5

Catherine Young
Former Miss Teen Latina Canada
P
ageant Platform Magazine sat down with
former Miss Teen Latina Canada, Catherine
Young. She owns the Pageant Package, a company
that takes a subscription approach to the Pageant
Industry. Catherine talked with us about her
experience in the pageant industry, this is what
she had to share.
PPM: Why don't you tell our Readers a little bit
about you and why you started the Pageant
Package?
CY: I competed in pageants a few years ago,
having just turned 28 and passed the age limit to
participate in pageants, I thought, how can I still
be involved in the industry? A friend of mine has
a subscription box business for fitness products,
after having competed in various fitness
competitions, it was a way for him to continue his
passion from the other side of the stage. That’s
when it struck me, I competed in pageants, I'm still
passionate about them and I’ve seen firsthand how
much this business has positively influenced my
friend’s life … and that's how I got started. It was
an idea, I put it out there to friends and family and
the positive response was overwhelming.
PPM: Going back to your pageant days when you
competed, what was your platform and how did
you go about picking it?
CY: As a teenager trying to understand who I was
and where I fit in, I quickly learned that the various
Latino communities living in Toronto weren’t
unified, when I competed in Miss Teen Latina
Canada and won, I worked towards spreading
awareness of multiculturalism in Canada while
also learning my own heritage and it’s evolved
community in Toronto. I did several fundraising
activities and events that ended up donating over
$1,000 to an underprivileged school in Chile, which
is my Mother's native country. In 2013, I competed
in Miss Universe Canada, at that time I was
finishing a postgraduate degree in public relations
and marketing. My platform and goal were to use
public relations, marketing and social media as a
medium to empower women.
PPM: How do you feel competing helped you get
to where you are today?
CY: When you are competing in a pageant you
must be aware of what's happening in the world,
in your community and what's affecting your
platform. You must be well-educated and well-
rounded. Competing in pageants not only opened
my eyes to many things I did not know but it also
helped me to focus in on issues that I felt strongly
about. It allowed me to really be one with the
community. I went to many charity events for my
fellow candidates who were competing at Miss
Universe Canada. I learned a lot about what
inspires people and what touches their hearts.
Competing allowed me to learn a lot about myself
and about other people.
Pageant Platform Magazine March/April 2018
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