It was a very surreal experience to be backstage at the British Columbia Ambassador Pageant. Just before everyone started to arrive, I took more last minute photos including lot's of photos of the recently appearing 2015 Medals, Award Plaques and Banners [alongside the Male Crown.]
Afterwards I spent time with my fellow candidates, taking selfies and getting everyone to sign my 2015 British Columbia Ambassador Program Souvenir Program courtesy of the Merritt Herald.
I even was able to take a Selfie with Sarah Simon.
Who reigned as a 2009 Merritt Ambassador
well I was reigning as Osoyoos Princess. Sarah
went on to take part in the 2012 British Columbia
Ambassador Program, where she was given the title
of British Columbia Ambassador as part of that years team.
This means that during my trip I got selfies with all three
2009 Merritt Ambassadors!
Presenting photos with the 2009 Merritt Ambassadors
After I got a picture with Sarah Simon who was acting as our MC, people begun arriving so I made my way out to the Lob
by to take pictures with people. Who should I run into but Marlowe who served as Queens Court for New Denver during my time reigning as Osoyoos Princess. So of course I got selfies with her too!
After that I got a few quick photos of me by the Osoyoos Banner before getting some with just Viveka and than both of us with the 2015 Osoyoos Royalty!
Afterwards I continued to get photos with as many people as possible before I was called backstage just before the pageant would start!
And it was time - I was being beckoned to get backstage!
On Saturday August 15th everyone had their hair done at Planet Hair & Spa
Every candidate [including Ethan] spent all morning and I spent well into the afternoon being pampered and having our hair done.
After my interview with the judges (insert antidotes) came time for my Hair appointment at t salon in Merritt. Seeing as it was nearly 1 p.m when I got to the saloon I knew I would be late to lunch.
When I arrived there were still a few girls having their hair done. I got to see Tasha [for a second as she was just leaving] Mary-Margret Batyi, Viveka [my fellow Osoyoos candidate] and Tea from Keremeos.
Thus a Wild long haired Chelsea Appeared
I sort of knew that no matter what they did with my hair it was going to take awhile! So I decided to use this time to talk about anything and everything with my stylists to keep the nerves at bay and not get worked up.
During my appointment they actually had me swap out stylists and have a sit break. As they were starting to desperately have an over flow of customers. So in about 15 minutes 4 ladies managed to give 4 guys hair cuts!
And when my hair resumed it was a new stylist this time named cookie!
I thoroughly loved the spa day and enjoyed spending time distressing and chatting with the stylists. I also loved my hair which had a combination of curls and braids and made me feel like Katniss Ever deen.
However during my appointment I basically had missed lunch all together! Fear not for Coleen brought me a plate of veggies alongside delivering my friend Shayla to the salon. She had gone to lunch at Baillie Property where the garden luncheon was being held and had seen I wasn't there. so she had asked Coleen & Teresa where I was and decided to surprise me!
Lo and behold during my appointment my entourage continued to grow when Bill and ruby stopped by having also gone to lunch only to not find me there.
Once my hair was finishes the stylists have me a cowboy hat as a memento.
After which Coleen. Drove shayla and I to the Baillie house which is where the luncheon was held. Meanwhile the only people left were the 2014 British Columbia Ambassadors and the keremeos ambassadors and I had just enough time to have my picture taken in the carriage (royalty tradition) before it started to rain!
Luckily shayla had an umbrella and just like magic golden appeared to whisk myself and the bc ambassadors away to the safety of her car so as not to ruin our hair.
During which she took us all to Starbucks as apparently all the other candidates had also dome the same thing. After treating us all to hot drinks coleen drove us back to the Merritt Civic Centre where I was finally reunited with my fellow candidates. Some of whom I had not seen since they left for their interview with the judges as several candidates DiD leave directly from their interviews and went straight to the salon.
After our final dinner all together as a giant happy group we had time to do our makeup and change in the green room and get ready for our big night
All along I feel that I was one of the few candidates who wasn't quite so nervous for the interview with the judges. Although, the interview did rank quite high points wise accounting for 70 possible points and lasting 20 minutes. It still didn't phase me all that much. As I said to the second last candidate who hung out with me while we waited, they've already been judging us this entire time. So what is the big deal really? I knew that if I went into the interview relaxed and not over thinking it, I could be my genuine self and portray myself as honestly as possible.
When I walked into the room I shook hands with the three judges and submitted my two Impromtu questions to our head judge which were as follows
What words do you live by and do they align with your life goals?
How do you define Success?
After that I sat on a chair in the middle of the room facing the table of three judges. Some of the questions I remember them asking me included what is the Tourism motto for the Province which was easy - "Super Natural British Columbia." Also they asked me questions about climate change and perhaps it included what I would do. Which was pretty funny as I had literally been asked that very question during my Summer Toastmasters meeting in July!
I was also asked this "If you had travel back in time 100 years taking you to 1915 what would you take with you from the current time." To which I replied an atlas because the world has changed so much and I thought it would be the easiest and most logical way to explain it. I also felt that it wouldn't be something that would overwhelm those living in the past.
Some of my other questions were things like what would I change about the Province today and I said nothing political but rather focused on Social media, as I do feel the Province could use Social media to their advantage when it comes to Marketing our beautiful Province as well as connecting with and reaching out to everyone who lives here.
Another question included my future goals/aspirations to which I replied that my dream goal was to be a life coach but to have my business centered around Social media. At the very least I would like to attain a career focused in social media. I told them I planned to take Social Media analysis at school through online courses enabling me to have a job when I eventually went to college. I would then take a mix of Social media/Public relation courses as well as leadership and if possible Life Coaching courses.
I talked about how long I've been passionate about Social media and in particular Youtube. I also said that my back up career could be going into Special FX makeup and posting videos & tutorials online. As I have already established myself as a self-taught Special Fx MUA having even won more than one international Makeup contest.
Some of the other questions included my intentions for participating in the program, what I got out of the program during my candidacy, what I would change about the program in the future and lastly if I would take on a title if given one.
The last few questions were the most difficult for me. First they asked me about the current Canadian Federal Election for which I couldn't remember the names of everyone running but made a joke saying no one can seem to get much social media coverage here in Canada with Donald Trump's campaigning and Social media craze. Which made everyone laugh!
I was also asked what would be an advantage to having me reign over one of my other candidates & what qualities/traits and skills I would bring with me to the team.
The most difficult question was being asked to chose 3 of the 2015 Candidates to make up the 2015 British Columbia Ambassador team. Which was a tricky question because you could play it so many ways, being diplomatic and not naming yourself, providing a balanced answer and naming yourself alongside two others, or simply describing the best traits you think a team should have over all and honestly naming the three people [even if it's you] who exhibit those qualities.
After that last question my twenty minutes were up and I was rushed off to the Saloon. As it was now quarter to one with the Luncheon starting at 1 p.m, the question soon became would I make it to lunch????
Around 7 a.m sleeping beauty aka me awoke from my rather short slumber excited for the day and also extremely sad as I knew it was my final day as a British Columbia Ambassador Candidate, That this part of my journey would end by the end of the night.
Since tasha an I had Both packed in the night we has time to record one last video of me opening the curtains as well as taking plenty of photos during our last few moments as official roommates and reminiscing in our fairly empty room #107 at the Ramada as we had already taken some of our stuff to store in Coleen and Teresa's room for the day as they were keeping their Ramada LTD room for another night.
I would like to graciously thank the Ramada Limited Merritt for graciously hosting the 2015 British Columbia Ambassador Candidates, the Committee and the 2014 BC Ambassadors as well as the newly crowned 2015 British Columbia Ambassador Team. I had a fabulous stay and found my room incredibly comfortable, especially the luxuriously comfy bed! After everyone was all checked out, Tasha and I took our last morning car ride with Coleen to the Merritt civic centre for our Second to last meal cooked by Anna brown which was yet another fabulous breakfast.
Afterwards I had time to sneak away into the stage room which was totally dark and whistle before heading to the dressing room to get ready for my interview with the.judges
As I was once again lucky number nine my interview with the judges was ages away and I had plenty of time to wait. Which I spent relaxing and basically waking up. I also spent time taking lot's of pictures of the two main pageant areas, as I knew there wouldn't be time to do it that evening. I took pictures of the Community standing banners that you see as you enter the hall, pictures of our Program & Candidacy Fundraising can table as well as other random pictures.
However it was mostly a cherished morning as I spent as much time [which seemed to be dwindling] as I could with my fellow British Columbia Ambassador Candidates. I decided to get ready Once after half of the candidates had disappeared having left for their interviews with the judges followed by leaving for hair appointments right after they finished.
I was able to take my time doing a very light make up [so that my face wasn't weighed down with it by the end of the night] before touching up my hairstyle. Which I had left in after Rachael had made it look so pretty for the night before, before eventually getting into my suit and quietly going over potential questions with my last few fellow candidates as we waited. I even had time to record a vlog while I waited! Find out what happens during my interview in the next blog. DUN DUN DUN
It was a very surreal experience to be backstage at the British Columbia Ambassador Pageant. Just before everyone started to arrive, I took more last minute photos including lot's of photos of the recently appearing 2015 Medals, Award Plaques and Banners [alongside the Male Crown.] 
After I got a picture with Sarah Simon who was acting as our MC, people begun arriving so I made my way out to the Lob
by to take pictures with people. Who should I run into but Marlowe who served as Queens Court for New Denver during my time reigning as Osoyoos Princess. So of course I got selfies with her too!
