She grew up in Cape Breton and now Naomi Colford of Sydney, N.S., is looking to bring some Maritime flair to the next Miss Universe pageant. “From that upbringing, I think I bring a certain different flavour to the competition that will really help me stand out,” the 26-year-old said on Sunday in an interview from Toronto, where she now lives and works as a pediatric nurse at The Hospital for Sick Children, also known as SickKids. Colford graduated from Sydney Academy, was a competitive dancer growing up and was a valedictorian when she graduated from Cape Breton University’s school of nursing in 2022. “Through my pediatric nursing experience, that really has given me the passion to want to continue in pageantry and to reach a larger audience for my platform which is childhood poverty in Canada,” Colford said. That is something she is familiar with, having grown up in a place with some of the highest child poverty rates in the country. When it comes to pageants, Colford already has a big win under her belt. She won Miss World Canada back in 2019, becoming the first Nova Scotian to claim the title. Now, she is counting on more support from back home. “As soon as they see you’re a Cape Bretoner, they have your back 110 per cent,” Colford said. “I’ve seen what we can do at that international level.” Up next for Colford is the Miss Universe Canada competition Aug. 2 to 8 in Windsor, Ont., where she will compete against roughly 40 other women for the right to represent the country at Miss Universe. She is hoping for the chance to make people proud back home in the Maritimes if she were to end up competing against the best in the world. “It would mean the absolute world to me to not only represent Canada but represent the East Coast, Nova Scotia, Cape Breton on the Miss Universe stage,” Colford said. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
