Two Alberta Native women compete in national pageant

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They may not have won the competition but two First Nation ladies from Alberta were mighty proud and pleased to represent their home territories in the annual Canadian Search for Miss Universe Pageant, March 30 to April 2 in Edmonton.

"It was a great experience," said Chantelle Cardinal, an 18-year-old Cree from Goodfish Lake First Nation.

When asked whether she would still have entered after experiencing what it was like to compete in such a mainstream-type of event, 20-year-old Lana Abraham, who is also Cree from Frog Lake First Nation, replied, "Yes, I definitely would."

The two ladies were the only Aboriginal contestants among 31 women, ages 18 to 27, who entered in the national pageant. For Cardinal and Abraham, it was their first such competition.

Abraham who is taking up-grading to complete her Grade 12, started modeling about two years ago with Northern Styles which is owned and managed by Edmonton fashion designer Charmaine Logan. Both Abraham and Cardinal found out about the pageant through personal contacts.

One of the teachers at Frog Lake, Tracy Poitras, informed Abraham of the pageant and she decided to take her up on her suggestion of competing. Even though she did not crack the top six, she was delighted with the experience.

"It gave me a better outlook on life and I now aspire more to higher education and new experiences," said Abraham.

She also enjoyed meeting the other girls and running through the paces of the pageant. The only things she did not appreciate were the lack of sleep and not being able to eat as much as she'd have like to.

Abraham was born and raised at Frog Lake, near the Saskatchewan border, and wants to major in computer science. She plans to move to Edmonton this fall, take up hairstyling, then go to Calgary's De Vries College for a two-year diploma program in computers.

She's a Prairie girl at heart who does some volunteer work at school and around the community. She enjoys school, studying, computer work, spending time with friends and singing along to her stereo.

As for athletics, it figures that a girl of her six-foot stature would be into sports. She is a middle hitter in co-ed and ladies volleyball, enjoys a good game of badminton and hits the powwow trail during summer as a jingle dancer. Outside the realm of sports, her hobbies lie in the area of reading and collecting whale and dolphin ornaments.

Chantelle Cardinal was born in Edmonton, but raised and schooled at Goodfish and Fort McMurray for five years. Today, she is finishing her first year as an undergrad at the University of Alberta where she is majoring in Psychology and hopes to one day earn a PhD.

In Cardinal's case, some students from her school at Goodfish were sent to Chan's International Modeling agency in Edmonton where they were encouraged to enter the pageant.

She has no regrets for having taking that step despite getting only 12 hours of sleep in four days. She would definitely enter the contest again, if she is able to. Cardinal feels she gained a lot from the experience.

"What I learned is self-confidence and it made me want to pursue goals," she said. "I feel more motivated to do things and to take on new challenges."

One of the only things she felt uncomfortable with was how superficial some people, including herself, seemed at the start. "At first people didn't seem themselves.

"It was like being what you are not and one should try to be themselves," said Cardinal.

Both Cardinal and Abraham are into computer and sports. Cardinal says she also enjoys relaxing and writing. She is especially proud of a poem she penned in Grade 5 that was entered in a North American competition and was subsequently selected and published in a book.

Cardinal also volunteers some of her time for the less fortunate, assisting the handicapped and slow learners whenever time allows, she explains.