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

Hello everyone! I am having so much fun here in Toronto and I cant believe half of the week is pretty much fun! Time really flies when you are truly having fun! Anyways, I wanted to take the time to say thank you to two of our amazing sponsors so far that has helped create this experience more memorable!

First I would like to thank Square One Shopping centre for giving each delegate a gift card to contribute to our shopping spree! It was extremely generous and I truly did have a good time shopping. It was a huge mall and all the stores I really liked! I wish we had more time to really go through it but I will definitely returning to shop there whenever I come back here to Toronto! So thank you again. Make sure to check out their instagram and twitter @shopsquareone and use the hashtag #SQ1 🙂

Another big thank you to the restaurant Nirvana for such a great dinner experience we had! They served us with amazing indian cuisine!
On the menu for us was:
Appetizer:
Hare Bhare Kebab
Aloo Tikki
Main:
Butter Chicken
Vegtable Pasta
Rice & Naan
Dessert:
Rice Malai

It was all delicious! I dont usually get to eat Indian cuisine so it was nice to get to taste the variety of food they had. So if youre ever in Mississauga, check them out! Also make sure to check their FB page as well, @NirvanaFlavours and website www.nirvanatheflavoursofindia.com
‪#‎nirvanaflavours‬

Had such a fun time!

xo Denisse

Greetings from Toronto everyone! I made it and the search for Miss Teenage Canada has officially begun! How exciting!

Since you know I am a Regional Delegate from Manitoba and I couldnt be happier to represent our beautiful province when I arrived her on Sunday July 17th at 2pm! Once we arrive at our hotel which was the Airport Holiday Inn here in Toronto, we entered the waiting room where all the rest of the delegates were waiting. Let me tell you, I was a bit overwhelmed and intimidated but once I got a chance to meet the girls, that thought just flew out of my mind. Especially meeting my wonderful roommate, Anne, who is Miss Teenage Surrey from BC! Then from there we went up to our rooms to get ready for our first event as Miss Teenage Canada Delegates which was the Opening Ceremonies of the 2016 Search for Miss Teenage Canada 2016. I was feeling really excited because as a girl, I love any reason to glam up and also it was start of our journey to the Miss Teenage Canada 2016.

The party was so fun and upbeat, every corner of the room was filled with goodies and fun activities our wonderful sponsors provided us with! I was also happy to be able to reunite with my Manitoba girls and enjoy this experience with them. Being there I just felt so blessed and honoured that we were all chosen to compete for this coveted title. Now this week isnt always about work and stress because that party was an example of that. Everyone was relaxed and just having a great time. We got to eat some pizza and cake, who could go wrong with that? And I also witnessed a captivating game of 1 hole mini golf where some of the delegates showed off their skills. I was also happy to have met the reigning Miss Teenage Canada, the beautiful Sarah Wocjik.

Thank you again to all the sponsors who were so generous that made our opening ceremonies a success! We wouldnt be here without the help of these amazing sponsors. Please keep staying tuned for more blogs from me and to hear my experience from nationals! Thank you for reading until this point and all the support and love! I wouldnt be here without you guys! Until next time!

With love,

xo Denisse

Today I wanted to just make a quick post about something that is important to me. I recently just registered for my classes for fall and thats why I decided to sit down and just talk about it. For those who dont know Im in university and recently gotten accepted into the Faculty of Education at University of Winnipeg. I can honestly tell you Ive never been so excited to start school. I guess thats what happens when you truly enjoy what youre doing.

But let me tell you, that wasnt always my first decision. Coming out of High School I had my mind set on something in the medical field because thats what I grew up thinking I would do and theres nothing wrong with that. But experiencing university was a lot different for me than high school. I learned that you learn more about yourself and what your real interests and strengths are. You dont stop growing once youve graduated, no matter how old you are you are still growing and learning new things in life and about yourself.

So when I got accepted into Education this year after a long time of playing the waiting game, I just felt such an overwhelming happiness and especially relief. For awhile I felt I was stuck with no where to go because everything was always unsure until I finally got this reassurance that I was going in the right path. I know I am young and still have a long way to go but its nice to feel like Im working towards something. Everyone is meant to do something in their life and this just felt right for me.

Education has always been an important thing in my life and also my familys life. My inspiration for that is my grandma. I wont go into too detail just cause it will be a long post but long story short it was something important to her that she wasnt really able to experience fully. So because of that she made it a goal that when she had children that all of them would finish university and get that degree. She always told me how important it is to take school seriously and to do your best so that you will have a better future for not only for yourself but if you decide to have a family one day. It has always stuck to me especially since my grandma always wanted to be a teacher which she never was able to. But she is a teacher to me and all her kids and grandchildren because she has instilled in us so much knowledge and life lessons that you cant just get anywhere else. And for that I dedicate my goal to become a teacher to her because she inspires me in so many ways possible. Shes so independent and strong considering she raised four kids on her own and put them all through school. She is a true example of Hard work does pay off.

As I make my way to become a teacher, I also want to make a difference. Thats why I revolved my platform on mental health catering especially to the education part of it and really making it apart of the curriculum in Canada. I have this vision and goal that by the time I graduate and start my teaching career in a couple years, that there will be mental health education as part of the curriculum that I will get to teach one day. I know it wont be easy but I will do my best to make it there and hopefully by some help and support, we can all work together and get there. Then maybe all of our hard work to make that difference, will pay off.

Thank you to everyone for reading this blog post that has always been something I wanted to talk about for awhile. Im new to being a blogger but Im slowly coming out of my shell and being exposed to more ways to give my help for those who need! Please stay tune for more posts like this! Ive always wanted a blog so this is kind of a dream come true as well. Take care everyone and I hope you all had wonderful day!

With love,

xo Denisse

Happy Canada day everyone! I know Im a little late on this but I just wanted to sit down and talk to you guys about my wonderful province and Canada! Lately there has been some negative news on tv that keeps breaking my heart. It really gives you a perspective of how blessed you are that those things are not happening to you and how you shouldnt take that for granted.

As for me, I love living in my province of Manitoba, let alone Canada itself! When I became Miss Teenage Manitoba I did appreciate everything around me before but it has also opened me up to a new perspective. As Miss Teenage Manitoba, you get opportunities to participate in things that you never really thought about participating in. It gives you a push to go even farther than youve already have. It pushes me to be more involved and really use the platform I was blessed enough to be given and make the most of it.

I would like to share some of the things I was able to be apart of in my home city and province. The downtown area are where most of the things that happen in Winnipeg and which is also where I live currently for those who dont know! But Manitoba overall, has a lot of of events that happen throughout the year especially in summer.

The things that I recently were apart of were Kids Fest, Pride Winnipeg, and KIK Picnic to name a few and all of them were happening at the Forks. There are tons of places to visit in Manitoba but one of the main attractions tourists should visit is The Forks in Winnipeg. Most city events happen in that area thats why its such a nice place to visit when you are in town.

The Forks is one of my favourite places to go in Winnipeg. It is a bunch of different old buildings that was made into kind of market that have a bunch of little boutiques, restaurants, and even entertainment. Its definitely a go to place if you want to do and see fun things when youre in Winnipeg! Here is the quote from The Forks Website so I dont get anything wrong to give you the exact definition what The Forks is all about The Forks, Winnipeg’s meeting place. Nestled in the heart of downtown, The Forks is one of Winnipeg’s most beloved places, at the junction of the Assiniboine and mighty Red rivers.
We’ve been a meeting place for over 6,000 years. Early Aboriginal peoples traded at The Forks, followed by European fur traders, Métis buffalo hunters, Scottish settlers, riverboat workers, railway pioneers and tens of thousands of immigrants.
Today, framed by the banks of the two rivers, The Forks is Winnipeg’s number one tourist destination with more than four million visitors annually.
Winter, spring, summer or fall, The Forks is a must for a stunning array of dining experiences, incomparable shopping, a constantly changing slate of entertainment and events, and many unique attractions that encompass the site’s natural, historic and man-made features.
If you want to learn more about The Forks, please call 1.888.942.6302 or go their website http://www.theforks.com/about/the-forks 🙂

Manitoba overall is such a diverse province that celebrates all kinds of cultures. Thats what I love because everyone is very open to learning about new cultures and accepting what they have to offer. Another event that happens in Winnipeg that celebrates diversity is Folkarama that is coming soon! And Canada overall celebrates diversity and encourages you to embrace your Canadian identity but also to not forget your root heritage as well which is pretty amazing if you ask me.

So if youre ever in Manitoba please check out those wonderful events in places! Theres tons of places to go in Manitoba and Canada! Be proud of who you are, where you come from, and remember to treat everyone with love and respect no matter what! The world is always better in peace ❤️

Thank you everyone who continue to read my blog! I will try to keep making more as I can! Have a wonderful day 🙂

With love,

xo Denisse