“I’m still trying to get over it because it’s been years of perfecting my technique, really figuring out who I am, what I stand for and what I want to do in my community,” she said. “It’s not something I spontaneously decided to do.”
A lifelong Airdrie resident was crowned Miss Calgary 2023 on April 1, completing an exhaustive two-week pageant that included everything from personal interviews to study exams and other graded components.
Emily Marston, 28, said it was an emotional moment when she learned she was officially the winner of the 2023 Miss Calgary pageant on Saturday.
“I’m still in quite a bit of shock,” she said Tuesday. “This isn’t the first pageant I’ve entered and I’ve represented Airdrie in a pageant before but I’ve never placed higher than the top 15. So for me to win a title is the craziest feeling in the world.”
Although she’s no stranger to the pageant world and was previously named Miss Rodeo Airdrie in 2016, the George McDougall High School graduate said this was her first time winning an official pageant and the accomplishment came with a mix of excitement and relief.
“I’m still trying to get over it because it’s been years of perfecting my technique, really figuring out who I am, what I stand for and what I want to do in my community,” she said. “It’s not something I spontaneously decided to do.”
Marston said the Miss Calgary pageant was held over two weeks in late March, with multiple sections and categories, including a personal interview component, a study exam, a fashion show, a fitness portion and an evening gown portion.
Contestants’ final scores from all components of the competition were tallied at the end, with the winner officially crowned on April 1.
As a result of her win, Marston said she will represent Calgary at an upcoming national level pageant, which could be either Miss Universe Canada or Miss World Canada.
Away from the world of wonder, Marston is also an advocate for local sustainability initiatives. She graduated from Olds College in 2018 with a Diploma in Environmental Management and Rural Planning and is currently working towards completing a BA in Environmental Management at Royal Roads University this spring.
Last summer, she presented Airdrie City Council with a proposal for a local urban agriculture collective she spearheaded called the Mud Pie Project. The project aims to help reduce food waste in the city and encourage Airdronians to grow more of their own food locally.
Marston said the city has been a great partner since the project started, and the plan is to do more outreach this summer to help expand the growing urban farming collective.
As someone who grew up in the countryside rather than the city itself, Marston said that sustainable agriculture is something she holds close to her heart and that the importance of environmental sustainability is something she always tries to promote. when participating in contests.
“Especially growing up as a farmer, I really noticed a disconnect between the urban community and the rural world and a lack of understanding of the need to depend on the environment,” she said.
“My goal with every title I’ve received is to educate the community on how to live sustainably and understand that yes, you’re not going to be perfect and that’s OK, but the important thing is that you try to change and try to fix yourself and to hold yourself accountable.”
For any locals who would like Marston to attend their event as Miss Calgary, she said they can submit those requests to [email protected]