For the Miss Teenage Canada pageant, the charity that I am
fundraising for is Free the Children or “WE”. Free the Children empower’s change with resources that create sustainable impact. They do this through domestic programs like WE Schools and internationally through WE Villages.The organization focuses on young people, with programs in Canada, the U.S. and U.K. for service learning and active citizenship, and international development projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America focused on children and education.The organization runs programs in approximately 10,000 schools in Canada, the U.S. and U.K. for service learning and active citizenship, with the aim of empowering youth to become socially engaged. WE does things like build schools in Kenya, help mom’s in 3rd world countries make a living for their families, create opportunities for people in countries like Haiti.

WE Schools, their educational program, is a model for youth empowerment that challenges young people to act with intention, and lead with compassion and the conviction that together we all can transform lives locally and globally.WE helps young people understand the issues and how they can help, and then provide them with the tools to take action and connect them to other like-minded change-makers, creating a global community bound by compassion.WE Schools combines unique curriculum, educational resources and action campaigns; it’s a movement of students and educators who believe that some of the most powerful learning experiences happen when you make a meaningful difference in your communities and for the world.

People making a difference is very important in the Miss Teenage Canada pageant. I strongly believe that if we all come together, we can make a huge and positive impact on not only the country, but the world. Your support and donations for this campaign would be very much appreciated. Thank you so much! The link to my fundraising site is below:

http://fnd.us/e1FSna?ref=sh_06bnl3

Thank you so much!

“I’m going to the Miami Summer Fair and Rodeo!” “Miami in Florida?” “No, Miami Manitoba!” This is the conversation I had with lots of friends and family before going to this event. Yes, there is a place called Miami in Manitoba, and it is such a cute and happy town. In Miami, I got the privilege of being able to sing Oh Canada before the rodeo, I got to play and make cupcakes with the kids in the kids fun zone, I got to do a radio interview with Noah Olfert, where I talked about the provincial pageant and the Miss Teenage Canada pageant coming up in August and what pageants mean to me. I also got to watch my very first rodeo!

The Miami Summer Fair and Rodeo was a great experience and I’m so happy I got to visit this great town. I can’t wait to go back again someday!

I got to take part in an amazing event for a very good cause. Sam and Bliss are two beautiful dogs with a terrible skin condition that is very painful and requires constant medical attention and surgeries. This, of course, comes with a cost. Hampers of Hope put on a fundraiser to raise money to help cover some of the costs of the medical care that Sam and Bliss need. They had a BBQ, dog wash station, photo booth, and many more fun activities. I was so excited to volunteer at this event.

I volunteered a lot of my time at the dog wash station. Having 3 small dogs I thought it would be fairly easy, but I never realized how messy things can get when you have a line up of people with dogs of all breeds and sizes waiting to get washed. I got soaked, and it was a blast! All the dogs were so well behaved.

Although Bliss was still too sick to make an appearance at the event, Sam was able to come and I got a picture with him! As you can see, he is doing much better.

I want to thank all of the volunteers and Hampers of Hope for making this event possible and for having me. I am so happy to have been able to help out!

My adventures as Miss Teenage Manitoba 2017 continued at the Brandon Summer Fair. I don’t often get to pull out my cowboy boots, so it was the perfect opportunity. I got to meet so many great people and got to play with kids and animals. I helped out in the petting zoo where I got to hold ducks, goats, cats, and much more. I also got to go up on stage with a clown and a comedian and assist with their performances. I got to play dress up with the little kids as they models cute little cowboy and cowgirl outfits in the “Cutest Show on Earth.”

After I had volunteered in the family fun zone, my family and I went to watch some of the bands and singers that were performing at the fair. In between performances, the Canadian Armed Forces were there and they took apart and put a Jeep back together in less then 4 minutes! I also got a picture with them!

Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time at the Brandon Summer Fair and thank you for having me!

On June 4th, my family and I attended the Winnipeg Walk to Fight Arthritis. I was so delighted that so many people were able to come out and walk all together as one to support this cause. Arthritis is terrible to live with. This was very special for me personally because both my parents suffer with arthritis and my mom has recently had surgery to try to remove some of it from her hands. She is recovering and still has to get the other hand done. I was so excited that she was able to come out and walk with me as well. It was so special and meant so much to me.

I got a chance to meet and talk to Ace Burpee and we had some great conversations about the provincial pageant and what is to come in the national pageant this August. I also got some really great pictures with other mascots who were at the walk!

It was a beautiful and sunny day at Assiniboine park, perfect to go for a walk!

Thanks to everyone’s support, Canadians in 41 communities took part in the 8th annual Walk to Fight Arthritis, with over 8,000 people coming together to walk for over 4.6 million people who are suffering with arthritis. That is so fantastic! I can’t wait to take part in so many more walks like this. We are better together!

My first event as Miss Teenage Manitoba 2017 was Pawshpalooza in support of D’Arcy’s ARC (Animal Rescue Centre). D’Arcy’s ARC is dedicated to helping cats and dogs who are homeless or have been abandoned, abused or neglected. They give them the proper veterinary assistance they need and provide them with a safe and comfortable living environment until they find their forever home.

I got the opportunity to walk my dog Goldie down a runway at the RBC Convention Centre, along with other models who walked their dogs down the runway as well. All of the models and dogs were dressed in beautiful outfits. There were dogs dressed in firefighter outfits, dresses, tutus, and much more. I was wearing the gown I wore at the Miss Teenage Manitoba pageant, along with my crown and sash. My mom and I thought it would be a great idea to put Goldie in a crown and sash as well, so we went out and bought her a sash that said “Class of 2017” and an adorable tiara. She also wore a pink fluffy tutu. Goldie and I also got the privilege of going on CTV Morning Live to help promote Pawshpalooza.

When I got up on the stage at Pawshpalooza I saw the smiling faces of the audience and my family who were there to support me. I couldn’t stop smiling. I was so proud to be part of such an amazing event in support of such a good cause. As an animal lover, I strongly believe that every animal should have a safe and comfortable place to call home and have access to the proper veterinary care that they need. Thanks to this event, we helped raise money to support D’Arcy’s ARC to continue to provide this care for these animals. 

Hello everyone!

Wow, I can’t believe the time has come where I actually have to write this post. I’ve been dreading to do so and it’s taken about a week or so for me to actually sit down and write.  Can you believe it’s been a year already? But I got a pleasure to meet this year’s delegates and am so happy all the girls made it to nationals! I hope they all have as much fun as myself and all the other girls did. I want to extend another congratulations to this year’s Miss Teenage Manitoba 2017, Genavieve Greene! She’ll be taking over this blog after this post, I know it’s sad but she will be amazing! I wish you the best of luck Genavieve and I hope you have the best year!

Anyways, this past year was truly a blessing and I wouldn’t replace it for the world. Being apart of this was a dream I had ever since I was a little girl and I didn’t even fathom to think it would ever come true especially this year. I know it’s cliche but if you asked me last year that I would be able to be Miss Teenage Manitoba, I’d think you’re crazy!

People I would like to thank for this year especially for helping me are:

• CKJS 810 AM for my first radio interview – Kuya Chester, Tito Lito, Ate Lucille, Ate Donna, Ate Ayen, and Kuya Maui
• DKF Fashions – Ate Ska for all of your support and the gowns you provided me at nationals!
• Filipino Express – Kuya Rey-Ar, Filipino Journal – Tito Rod Contiveros, Artista – Tito Ley Navarro
• And the rest of the Filipino Community such as QPAM, MaCCFA, Bulacan Association – Lola Clarita, Manitoba Filipino Street Festival – Tita Aida and many others!

Thank you all so much for the support you’ve given and those who I never got to mention, everyone of you impacted my life so much in someway  through my whole year. I wouldn’t be here without you all! I’m incredibly thankful for meeting all the people I did and those who stood beside me through it all!

Before I go I wanted to share my speech that I gave on my final night, I won’t deny that it got me emotional but if you put so much of yourself into something, it will be hard to let it go. But I know this isn’t the end for me but an end of a chapter in my life that I will always look back to and it’s also the start of a new chapter in my life that I can’t wait to write about. I hope this won’t be the last time you hear from me because I will truly miss this! If you want to go back on my journey in detail please head to my FB page – Miss Teenage Manitoba 2016 Denisse Samaniego – where I updated that a quite more of all the activities I did! Thank you again, here is my final speech I gave;

“Being apart of the Miss Teenage Manitoba pageant was truly a blessing for me. Never would have I thought that I would be standing here about to pass on the crown to the next lucky girl that will wear the Miss Teenage Manitoba 2017 sash. It was not only such an honor and a privilege to represent Manitoba alongside with the other beautiful girls but it is a great responsibility. Being Miss Teenage Manitoba was so much more than just winning a pageant but it was a chance for you to be role model for the youth and to reach out and help your community in so many causes. You don’t realize what big of an impact you can make until you can make a little girl smile by taking a picture with them with your crown and sash. They truly look up to you but not just for the glamour of the title of being a Miss Teen, but also the work you put in. For myself, my platform was promoting education about mental health in schools. As a future educator this was something important to me and to my future students. Mental health and illnesses are not often talked about in schools until something tragic happens. I wanted to help open up the topic and start the conversations to eliminate the stigma there is behind mental illnesses. Throughout this year I was able to work with a Winnipeg-based youth group that is now a non-profit organization called Peace of Mind 204 that holds events every year that allow highschool students all over the province to come together and to talk and learn about mental health. By having this platform I was blessed to be given, I was able to reach out to students and people I would other wise have a harder time to reach such as our Mayor Brian Bowman that I had a pleasure to meet. I also went to the legislative building and met with the MLA Nic Curry to discuss a bill that we can pass to having more mental health education in schools. Other than being able to work on my platform, I was blessed with a lot of memories I’ll cherish forever. From events such as WE Day, The Pride Parade, Kids Fest, and The Princess Ball for Cystic Fibrosis, to making friendships that will last for a lifetime. Not only did I get to meet beautiful girls here in Manitoba but girls from all over the country from Nationals. I get to say I have a friend in every province and I look forward to seeing them again if I ever get to visit that province! Being Miss Teenage Manitoba or even being a finalist to go to nationals can be so much fun but takes a lot of work if you want it to be worth while and memorable! I wouldn’t be able to have this great of a year without the people I’ve met and worked with along the way that helped me get to where I am now. I want to thank all the organizations and charities I got to work with this year that helped me open my eyes to such worthy causes and encouraged me more to help out in my community in every way I can. I’d also like to thank all the sponsors I had along the way and people that helped get me to nationals and fundraise money for Free the Children and Fort Mcmurray. I would also like to thank Vu and Yen from LA Collection Bridal Salon for providing me with this beautiful gown to wear this evening and all the support they have given me this year. You truly are amazing and I can’t thank you enough! I would also like to thank the Filipino community here that showed me so much support and encouragement throughout my reign. To the Miss Teenage Canada Organization Michelle, Ryan, and Christi who make this whole pageant possible and for making sure all the girls are safe and have such a fun memorable experience! To my mentor and friends such as Courtney who helped me gain my confidence throughout the pageant and always encouraged me even when I was doubting myself. To my other mentors Tito Joy and Tito Mon, who are like my second parents who taught me so much things that I now bring with me with everything I do. And lastly to Kamal, Danielle, all my family and friends, and especially my lovely parents for all your never-ending support and love in everything I do. You guys are my rock and I wouldn’t be who I am today without you. And to the next Miss Teenage Manitoba, enjoy your reign and live it to the fullest. Make sure in your reign, you will stay true to yourself and represent Manitoba with pride. Fasten your seat belt because you’re in for a year of your life and you should enjoy every moment of it! At the end of your reign you will have grown in perspective, maturity, and confidence. I know you’ll be amazing! Thank you.”

(Photos by Visual Souls Studio – Mike Osikoya, Makeup – Dana Atkins, Hair – Jill Hadfield)

Remember to always chase your dreams, no matter how big it is, if you work hard enough for it you’ll reach it. Embrace your whole life to the fullest and never take anything for granted! Love everyone and treat everyone with respect, good things will come!

So for one last time…

Love always and God Bless,

Denisse Samaniego

Miss Teenage Manitoba 2016

I can’t believe Nationals are done! It was such a fun week and I wouldn’t replace it for the world. I’m so thankful for the experience to travel and compete along side beautiful girls from across the country! Thank you to Miss Teenage Canada for making this experience possible! I was proud to represent Manitoba and proud to say I finished as a Top 10 finalist! 🙂 Here are some pictures from pageant night!

I’ll truly miss this! Thank you for a chance of a lifetime. And thank you for everyone who supported me along the way! I appreciate everything so much and all your support and encouragement are the reason why I made it through this week! THANK YOU! <3

xo Denisse