| Subject: Ambitious and proud to represent her country |
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Date Posted: 20:38:22 05/22/10 Sat
Published Saturday May 22nd, 2010
By LAVERNE STEWART
She has been Miss Fredericton, Miss New Brunswick, Miss Canada International and soon she hopes to be selected as Miss Universe Canada so she can represent this country in the Miss Universe pageant.
Solange Tuyishime, 26, was born in Burundi, Central Africa. She hopes to use her life experience to help encourage others to be the best that they can be and to go after their dreams.
She was a girl when her family managed to escape Burundi's civil war for Rwanda in the early 1990s, only to find more violence, bloodshed and disease there.
They were homeless and hungry while searching for a safe haven from the strife. As refugees, they were crowded into areas with thousands of other displaced families.
Without food, water and sanitation, many, including her great-grandmother, died from diseases such as cholera. She can still hear the sound of gunfire and bullets whizzing through the air. She recalls hunger and thirst. She used to walk 10 miles for water.
But no matter how desperate things were, she says, she always dreamed of a better life and what she wanted to be someday.
"I've always been a dreamer, since I was a little girl. I was lucky because I was a dreamer but there were some kids there who were not dreamers. There are kids today who need someone to look up to. I want them to be able to say Solange made it and so can I."
Tuyishime, her parents and her two brothers arrived as refugees in Kenya where they stayed for a few years. They relocated to Canada in 1996.
After she finished high school in Fredericton, she earned a journalism degree from St. Thomas University in 2005.
She is very proud to be Canadian and she wants to do everything she can to be an example of what's possible in this country for anyone, regardless of their life circumstance.
As Miss Canada International she travelled throughout this country, which she describes as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"You get a sense of what Canada is all about. For me it was an opportunity I will cherish for a really long time."
Her reign as Miss Canada International ended in 2007. At that time she decided it was time to go back to school. In the next two years she earned a masters in public administration at l'Université de Moncton.
Tuyishime has achieved a lot and yet, she says, she believes there is so much more she is capable of and more things waiting for her to accomplish.
In 2009 she started to work for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. Then she was transferred to Ottawa where she now works with Industry Canada in the human resources branch where she helps with executive leadership development.
When she isn't working, Tuyishime is preparing herself to compete in the Miss Universe Canada pageant. She and 62 other contestants have been accepted to take part in the final competition in Toronto on June 7. Miss Universe Canada will be crowned on June 14.
"I really like the idea of representing Canada. I really think what I have done with my life allows me to be proud enough to say that I can be a role model for many young children, women and men who are working very hard and trying to achieve their dreams. I also have a message that I believe that I can share with the rest of the world about universal education, gender equality and helping those who are living in unfortunate circumstances."
To represent this country on an international stage she says it is important that you understand yourself and what you believe in. She is an ambassador for UNICEF Canada, which allows her to speak at fundraising events.
"I am very fortunate to do that. I feel it is one step closer for me to start helping those who are living in unfortunate circumstances. It is one that I hold very close to my heart."
As well as poise and intelligence, Tuyishime also knows she needs to prepare herself for the beauty side of this competition. She exercises six times a week at the gym and she is careful about what she eats. She loves to bake and enjoys making muffins, which she will eat early in the day so she can burn off the calories at the gym.
She wakes at 6 a.m. and heads to the gym. Then she goes to work. By 4:30 she goes back to the gym for exercise classes. She returns home and prepares dinner. Tuyishime calls cooking her therapy. She also loves to prepare African cuisine which includes vegetables, rice and meat.
After dinner she spends a couple of hours replying to email she receives on Facebook and on her website.
By 9 p.m. she likes to watch TV before bed. It's a very full life with little idle time. On the weekend, her schedule is more relaxed but always there is exercise at the gym. Sunday she loves to clean and cook meals for the week. She also likes to watch movies and entertain friends at home.
Tuyishime doesn't take anything in her life for granted and she wants to remind others how lucky they are to live in this country.
If she is chosen as Miss Universe Canada, she says she will have to get ready quickly for the Miss Universe pageant.
"I am 26 and the age limit is 27. If I had the opportunity of actually winning Miss Universe Canada, I would work hard to go all the way. A part of me, in my heart, I believe I can do it."
Tuyishime hopes to someday host a television show and one day be a United Nations ambassador. And, when the time is right, she would also like to be a wife and mother. She has been dating the same man for the past five years. She calls him her partner and a great support system. They met at university.
"He is very different than me. He is very quiet, stable and he never doubted me. I am a very ambitious person and I think it takes a very patient person to be with someone who is so ambitious."
In this order she would like to become Miss Universe Canada, Miss Universe and then add Mrs. to her name. "We have definitely talked about it."
When she can, she enjoys coming home to Fredericton to visit with her parents and brothers. Family holidays are a must, she says.
"Or else mom would cry. Last year I almost didn't make it back for Christmas and I'm the one who was crying."
If she wins Miss Universe Canada she says she wants to come home right away so she can remind herself who she is, where she comes from and the things that make her proud, she says.
"We come from a place where you have to work really hard in life and no matter whether you become number one, number two or number five, you are still proud of who you are as a person. My whole family will always be there for me no matter what. Especially because of what we have been through, we have become very close."
For more information about Solange Tuyishime, go to http://www.solangetuyishime.com/
A few words from those who know her well
"Solange is a very talented and passionate young woman, who had to grow up so quickly throughout dark moments and refused to despair. She looks into the future with her bright eyes and lots of dreams and hope for a better world. I'm very proud of her."
Marie-Françoise Nsengiyumva
Solange Tuyishime's aunt
"When Solange enters a room, she is immediately noticed for her outer beauty. It takes only a few moments in her company, however, to see beyond the exterior and witness the intelligence, compassion, warmth and strength that make up this wonderful young woman."
Noreen Martin
Tuyishime's colleague
"Solange is a dynamic and upwardly mobile young lady who has displayed a resolve that is rarely found in someone her age. She is hard working, conscientious, and focused on making the most of the opportunities that are provided to her.
"She does everything with a grace and charm that is unique to those who come from challenging backgrounds; who strive to prevail over difficult circumstances. She has a heart that aspires to help others - just as she and her family were helped when they relocated to New Brunswick - and remains humble and God-fearing in all the accomplishments."
"Her pride in her Rwandese/African background is a testament to the value she places on things that are important in her life. Her gratitude to Canada - for giving her the opportunity to succeed in life - is a reflection of the compassion she has experienced in her new country.
"She does not take anything for granted and is thankful for what life has blessed her with everyday.
"She continues to strive to give back to the community at large because she knows that 'to whom much has been given-much is expected.'"
Sam Macharia Ng'ang'a
Tuyishime's friend
http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/balance/article/1061967
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