Neola Husbands

Miss Teen GTA-World: No Stranger to Challenges

Neola Husbands — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:00:29 EST

Miss Teen GTA no stranger to challenges

Posted by Editor on Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 in

Local News

By RON FANFAIR

Winning the Miss GTA Teen crown was a defining moment in Neola Husbands' young life. It proved that she possessed beauty, talent, confidence, eloquence and discipline to successfully compete on stage. It has also provided her with a platform to help young people understand that they can conquer the odds.

As a young immigrant, the Guyanese-born confronted the same cultural shock that most newcomers face in a new society. She also entered foster care two years ago following family differences.

She and her father, two brothers and a sister, migrated here nearly a decade ago. Her mother, who remained in Guyana, has a terminal disease.

Despite the challenges and heartaches, Husbands has emerged from Regent Park, where she lived with her family for seven years, to be a pageant winner, role model and successful student.

She says that the stumbling blocks she encountered have helped to make her a stronger and better person.

"Being placed in foster care taught me that I had to do much more for myself because I was on my own," she said. "There is a perception out there that kids in group homes don't do well and seldom turn out to be productive citizens. I wanted to prove that that was completely wrong...My marks went down during the transition to foster care because that was a very rough period going into a new and totally strange environment, but I worked hard to get them back up.

"The culture shock I faced was also staggering for someone like me coming from a small community (Linden) when I was just seven years old. And there was pressure to become a product of the environment that I found myself in, but I did not come here to fail despite the barriers and hurdles that were placed in front of me."

Husbands is going to be busy this spring and summer. She is one of 64 contestants who will take part in the Miss Teen Canada pageant in July just months before she heads off to the University of British Columbia in September to study psychology.

"I chose to go out to B.C. because I like to explore new places," she said. "It will take me to another part of Canada which is also beautiful and I will get the chance to build new relationships and networks."

She plans to visit her ailing mother before heading off to university.

"I returned to Guyana for the first time last year since I have been here and it was difficult seeing my mother in the state that she is in and knowing what she is going through," said Husbands. "It's hard, but I am determined to make her proud of me. That's what keeps me going and striving to do positive things."

The Wexford Collegiate School of Arts Grade 12 student and Pathways to Education mentor is also planning a benefit concert to be held in May. Proceeds from the youth-focused event will go to Habitat for Humanity and Free the Children.

Sponsors interested in supporting the charitable event can contact Husbands at www.neolahusbands.onsugar.com or nh.msteencanada@hotmail.com.

VIDEO BLOGGING!

Neola Husbands — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 13:50:06 EDT

Hey everyone,
It's been so long! But I am back and here to stay! I decided to come up with an alternative way of interacting with the world which is VIDEO BLOGGING!!! This way I can easily update everyone about what is happening. I will write a lot too but, when I am on the go this will be the way of communication! I hope that you don't mind this alternative and that it works great for all of us! Tell me what you think. I hope you like it.

Extinction of Mankind? WE MUST TAKE ACTION!

Neola Husbands — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:49:11 EST

Last night I was oblivious to the disasters of the world. This morning I had a rude awakening to the tragedy in Haiti. On the cover of my morning newspaper is a picture of a badly bruised child. Truthfully, I am not usually taken back or disturbed by crises. They're usually an everyday occurrence. This was somehow different. Seeing and reading about the disaster and it's impact on our global community have my eyes wide open. What can I do to help? I commend UNICEF, Global Children Fund, etc for acting so quickly to ensure that there is sufficient funding to help the country. I commend Canada for weighing the advantages of aiding our neighbors in their time of need. I commend people for donating and being apart of the rehabilitating process. It is times like this that allows me to witness the destruction of our planet, but it is also times like this that allows me the opportunity to partake in the unity of our nations and its peoples.

I have acknowledged the fact that donating to dedicated organizations is a definite way to help victims in Haiti. Yet, I feel as though I would not be doing enough. With every word I've written, another victim has died of post trauma, or became Ill because of the injuries. There are homes ruined, lives destroyed. Not one remaining person will easily forget the trauma of this earthquake. Family members are misplaced. 10 000 dead, many more injured. And the children. Those who has lost, those who are lost. Who will be there to reconcile with them. Who will be there to offer the assurance of a better tomorrow?
Waking up this morning was tragic and heart clenching. The tragedy has just begun, the real disaster begins after people overcome the after shock. It begins when families, friends, neighbors, enemies realize that they must become dependent and invest hope in foreign people and organizations. The real tragedy beings once we allow these people to lose faith in the unknown, us Canadians. What do we do then? What do we do when victims begin to panic and doubt everything they've heard or believe about Good Canadians?

I don't know what we would be able to do or accomplish at that point, but what I do know is that we must strive to prevent that time from coming. Too many people have died already. How much more must suffer before we realize that we are obligated to step in? If not for the fact that there are Canadian families that are affected by this tragedy, then for the fact that these are our neighbours, our fellow human beings. It is in these times that we must cherish the existence of mankind. We must take initiative to secure our placement on this planet. Everywhere on earth, there are suffrage. There are struggles. There are humans. It's time to take action.

So, what can we do? There are many funds set up to aid these victims. UNICEF, FREE THE CHILDREN, RED CROSS, etc. are all involved in the process of providing funds. You can donate on any of their websites, or contact myself forI have set up a fund raising group for Free the Children foundation. How ever small the sum may be, a child, mother, brother, family needs support. They have a lot to lose right now, do we?

A lot of Appreciation!

Neola Husbands — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:50:10 EST

Thank You from Neola

The Connected Parenting Team

on December 13th, 2009 | Permalink

Hello All,

Sorry for keeping you in suspense, but here are the results we’ve all been waiting for. First, let me start by saying thank you to all for the continual support. My pageant weekend was a big success, and I could not have done it without your help. In a literal overnight miracle, I went from being completely hopeless in pursuing the event, to having many willing to contribute to my cause. I have learned the value of having people willing to support me without even knowing my face. This showed me the sentimental meaning behind the contribution of you all, and has created a bond between us that runs deeper than this pageant.

My usual lifestyle includes functioning independently on a day-to-day basis in every aspect. I am not used to having people around to unconditionally support me and my aspiration in the way that you all have been able to present to me in the past two weeks. Every time I received a new e-mail or text from Jennifer I did not know what to say, or how to react. In a short time frame you all have shown me more support than I have received in years.

As I continued through the last two weeks, I was always tempted to question why strangers would be so willing to help the “unknown.” I became aware of how many additional people are counting on me to succeed, how many additional faces are looking at me to be successful in the pageant. I was determined not to disappoint any of you, and to bring home the title that we all contributed to. It wasn’t until I was on stage at the pageant that I realized your eagerness to be of aid to me had nothing to do with this actual event. My interpretation is that you see more than a potential “beauty queen.” For one to show such willingness to another individual, that individual must have shown some ambition or promise. I am still trying to figure out exactly what the motivation was that made you all take interest. The more I think about it, the less relevant it is becoming. I shall no longer dwell on “why”, but I shall move forth to fulfill the promise that you see in me.

The pageant weekend was a complete success. I met new people, made new friends, worked with a really good team, and most importantly, worked on bettering myself. I had overcome a lot of challenges, portrayed a high level of confidence, built my self-esteem, yet still left room for improvement. This past weekend was not about being competitive or outshining the other girls, it was about me, and defining who I am to the world.

The best way to start this new paragraph is by announcing that I AM MISS TEEN GTA-WORLD!!! Out of 60 girls, 15 finalists were chosen to move on to nationals, where they will crown Miss Teen Canada-World 2010. Fortunately, I am one of those lucky girls. At Nationals, I will be competing against another 60 girls from across Canada. My duties as Miss Teen GTA-World are to continue to be a positive role model, promote my title by attending events throughout the GTA, obtain a lot of media exposure, and of course do a lot of fundraising for Free the Children Foundation. My platform will continue to be Conquering the Odds, and my campaign will be called: WE WIN. The preparation for this pageant will be more challenging than the first. The responsibilities have increased, the chances have increased, and the fees have definitely increased. I am determined to make the best out of this experience.

Once again, I would like to say thank you to all. This is only the beginning, and I will definitely make you all proud! If there are any appearances that you would like me to make, or if you have any suggestions for sponsorships, fundraising ideas, etc. Please feel free to make the suggestions to Jennifer, or you could contact me, or both. This is officially the start to a wonderful and life-changing experience, and I could not have done it without you all. WE DID IT! I will also post additional blogs to keep you all updated.

Neola Husbands
nh.msteencanada@hotmail.com