Quinn Teechma, actress, photographer, and Miss Universe Canada 2022 finalist, often marvels at how social media has made our world so much larger and so much smaller at the same time.
Quinn is well aware of how large the world can be, but how small it seems when making connections with people.
Quinn’s extensive travel, beginning in early childhood, has shaped her worldview and informed her approach to supporting the myriad of platforms championed by the Miss Universe Canada organization.
A World View from an Early Age
Quinn considers herself fortunate to have been given a chance to travel the world from the tender age of one year old. Her parents embraced learning about different cultures and set out to give their children real-world experience.
“I believe seeing and learning about other cultures has brought awareness to my perspective,” explains Quinn.
The sometimes stark reality experienced by other children worldwide stayed with Quinn. Knowing what chances others may not have, Quinn set out to work hard on her various goals and provide well for herself and her family.
She was inspired in other ways as well, knowing that wherever her life led her, she wanted to give back.
“I will never forget walking the streets of Nepal with my father when I was 12 years old,” remembers Quinn, “I saw children sleeping in garbage piles, saw them sniffing bottles of glue. At the time, I didn’t understand the concept of getting high, but it still impacted me. It inspired me to work hard to build a platform for myself, so I could effect change on a global scale,” said Quinn.
You’ve Come a Long Way
The pageant world often attracts a bad rap, one that Quinn fully acknowledges, yet she cautions people against believing the negative talk regarding pageantry.
“Beauty pageants have come a long way. It’s not just about being skinny and curling your hair,” she says, “These days pageants have evolved. It’s about what you stand for. What causes are important to you, what difference are you making in our society.”
The evolution of the pageant circuit was a draw for Quinn, who was attracted to their support for various platforms that helped people in Canada and around the world. Remembering what she had learned through her childhood travels, Quinn knew she could reach a global audience for causes close to her heart through the pageant.
The Miss Universe Canada pageant elevates causes such as Operation Smile, SOS Children’s Villages, and Habitat for Humanity.
Empowering Women
Closest to Quinn’s heart are platforms that work towards empowering girls and women.
“My true passion is helping everyday women feel like the queens they are,” Quinn says. She opened her boudoir photography studio in hopes of helping women fall back in love with themselves and their bodies.
Much like boudoir photography helps women embrace their beauty, inside and out, Quinn feels the Miss Universe Canada organization does the same.
“Pageants inspire millions of young girls across the universe to be better and do better,” she says.
Actively inspiring women to actively promote positive change in the world is one of the most important aspects of the Miss Universe Canada pageant and pageants in general. Pageants often encourage women to look inward and to build self-awareness and confidence. This developed tenacity that pageants give women allows them to spread confidence to others through their various platforms.
Quinn Teechma has built a life of service and empowering her fellow women with inspiration sparked by world travels. Her worldview and experiences have led her to know herself better.
“Knowing oneself and standing tall with confidence is the most powerful tool you can have stepping into the real world.”
