Millbrook First Nation woman second runner

Millbrook First Nation woman second runner-up at Miss Indigenous Canada

Raven Stephens has a master's degree in marine management and works for Fisheries and Oceans Canada

A woman from Millbrook First Nation is second runner-up in Miss Indigenous Canada.

Raven Stephens, 27, is an artist and has a master's degree in marine management from Dalhousie University. She works as a marine biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

She told CBC Radio's Information Morning that she joined Miss Indigenous Canada to test herself.

"I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. It's something I haven't done before. And I actually originally did it because an elder in my community had pushed me to apply," Stephens said.

"It was first initially promoted as a pageant. As a scientist and an artist, I never really saw myself as being somebody who enters pageants but this year they actually shifted it a little bit so it went from being a pageant to a cultural leadership and development program."

For her cultural presentation, Stephens — one of 20 delegates from across Canada — wrote a poem that was based on a teaching from one of the elders in the community.

"She is somebody who shaped and influenced me into the person I am today. She talks about the importance of protecting our lands and waters and it's something that stuck with me ever since I was a child and something that I brought into my adulthood and my career now as a marine biologist," she said.

Stephens said she was the first Mi'kmaw woman to place in the event.

"It means a lot to me to represent my community on this stage. I really wasn't expecting it at all," she said.

Stephens said her biggest takeaway from the experience was learning to believe in herself.

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"I've realized that sometimes I hesitate to believe that I'm equally capable. And this experience has really taught me to extend that same confidence and grace to myself. And I've learned that believing in my own abilities is just as important in believing in others," she said.

Overall, Stephens said she had a great time with the program held this year on Six Nations on the Grand River, Ont. She said she made friends with her fellow delegates and bonded over their upbringings and cultures. She said they're planning to meet up again in the future.

"We experienced so many things together. We laughed until we cried. We even got stuck in an elevator together at one point," she said.

Looking ahead, Stephens wants to inspire youth in her community to step out of their comfort zones, pursue their dreams and increase Mi'kmaw representation.

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With files from Information Morning