A recent graduate of Holy Rosary High School Yuliya Shcherban has added another accomplishment to her resume. The 18-year old has been crowned Miss Ukrainian Canada 2018 in the grand finale of the competition on Sunday.
Shcherban says she couldn’t believe it when she heard her name being called as the winner.
“I was super excited. Of course, you think about winning or getting a title, but I was just super happy to be a part of a project that was enough for me. So when I found out that I won I was just beyond happy.”
The competition is unlike most beauty pageants; it promotes the Ukranian culture, as well as giving the contestants several projects to work on before taking the stage. Projects included writing an essay on a traditional Ukranian costume from each person’s region in Ukraine, as well as a proposal for a social project that either helps Ukrainians in Canada or in Ukraine.
Shcherban’s social project proposal was for an organization in her hometown of Drohobych, Ukraine that helps people who are disabled learn basic skills such as cooking, using public transportation and taking care of themselves.
“I wanted to take these people onto a summer camp so they can still continue to learn skills and the camp can be educational, but it would be a different setting for them. They could meet new people, interact with new people and it would be fun for them.”
Shcherban says with the new title she will have new responsibilities including attending Ukrainian events in Toronto and further promoting the Ukranian culture. She will also try and fundraise for the camp in Drohobych.
The teen came to Canada when she was six years old and spent the whole time in the Border City. She has recently been accepted into the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management where she plans on studying finance and economics this fall.