A First Nations woman from northern Ontario made national pageant history as the first Indigenous winner of Miss World Canada 2022.
Over the weekend in Toronto, she competed against her 49 competitors from all over the country to take home the crown.
"And that's what I wanted to do: all Indigenous peoples, Indigenous youth, all Canadians, no matter how small the community or reservation, to achieve great things and make a big impact. I wanted to show that it is possible."
Not only did she win the Miss World Canada title, but she also won the 2022 Beauty with a Purpose title. The Beauty with Purpose section requires all delegates to do humanitarian projects or serve their communities.
Morrison's project was to reconnect with her indigenous culture by creating a traditional bow skirt that took her a year to prepare.
"After the 215 unmarked graves were found at the Kamloops residential school, this inspired me to reconnect with my culture. And this is when I began sewing ribbon skirts for myself to wear to remind me to be proud to be an Indigenous woman and all these feelings I knew I wanted to share with others," she said.
"So this is when I began creating ribbon skirts for other Indigenous women to wear so they'll have a physical link to their culture and remind them to feel empowered, to be proud to be an Indigenous woman."
This isn't the first time Morrison has won a national beauty pageant. Her interest in pageants began when she won the title of Miss Northern Ontario in 2017.
“Growing up in Shaplough, I hunted, fished, played sports, did little things north of town, but what drew me to the pageant was what it was. Because it was new," Morrison said.
"It sounded so exciting to step out of my comfort zone and be surrounded by strong women."
She then went on to compete at the Nationals and that same year she won Miss She Teenage She Canada, becoming the first Indigenous woman to win.
Four years after saying goodbye to the pageant world to continue her hair and aesthetic education, Morrison hasn't skipped a beat.
Now she plans to spend her next year preparing for the Miss World pageant in Vietnam. "This is the oldest and most prestigious beauty pageant in the world, where more than 90 delegates will meet and compete for the title," she said.
Her advice for other young beauty pageant hopes?
"Always be bold and have the courage to step out of your comfort zone. Doing so will only expand your comfort zone and open up more possibilities."
She said in 2012 that she was a young girl watching someone in her town put on a contest to win years later, and she called her latest title "The Moment of Perfect Circle." I'm in.