Kelowna's Miss World Canada hopeful ready to shine

It's the calm before the storm for Priyaali Kanti.

She has been preparing over the past year for the upcoming Miss World Canada Pageant in Toronto on Nov. 7.

The competition ends Nov. 13, where five distinct but equal titles will be awarded: Miss world Canada, Miss Grand Canada, Miss Intercontinental Canada, Miss Earth Canada, and Miss Supernational Canada.

Kanti has the chance to represent all of Canada.

She was born in Mumbai, India, and emigrated with her family to Canada in the summer of 2017 for opportunity and a change.

Here, she got involved with beauty pageants as a way to overcome her limitations.

“I wanted to battle my fear of public speaking,” Kanti told Kelowna10 in July. “I always liked getting out of my comfort zone and challenging myself.”

The aspiring actress and third year UBC finance and economics student, was crowned Miss Teen B.C. Interior in 2018 and Lady of the Lake in Kelowna’s sister city, Kasugai, Japan.

Recently she got the news that she was selected as a national finalist for Miss World Canada in Toronto.

“I was ecstatic. I was very, very excited, even though I know I have to practice lots and there’s a lot of preparation and a long journey that goes into pageantry,” Kanti said.

“It’s an opportunity for me to give back to my community and be a role model for young girls.”

The Miss Canada pageant is the preliminary for the Miss World Pageant where a representative from each country will compete.

If Kanti is crowned in Toronto, she will represent Canada on the world stage.

Not only will she be judged for physical aspects like fitness and fashion, but she’ll also showcase her skills in classical Indian dancing for the talent portion of the competition.

Fundraising is a big aspect of Miss World Canada. Contestants must raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and show they’re willing to give back to their community.

Kanti has used her dancing skills in the past to raise money for charity. Her latest endeavor, Project INDigreat, hopes to help Indian immigrants.

She credited a Western-style upbringing, that included English lessons, with her ability to quickly acclimate to Canadian culture. But her experience working with Kelowna Community Resources showed her how difficult it can be for Indian families who move here.

“I felt like all Canadians embraced me with open arms,” she said. “But a lot of Indian immigrants do not have the same upbringing as me and they are very prone to the culture shock and the language barrier. So, I would like to do something to ease the transition for them.”

An online fundraiser has been set up to help Project INDigreat provide English lessons, teach valuable financial skills, and with the citizenship exam.

Kanti calls the Miss World Pageant a holistic competition that looks at all aspects of a person’s character in the judging.

“Initially I hadn’t thought of doing really, really well in pageantry because of the conventional mindset that I had, which was that only tall, athletic, and slim girls can win pageants and it’s all about looking pretty on the outside,” Kanti said.

“But I think Canadian pageantry has taught me that it’s not only about being a model, but it’s about being a role model.”