A New Brunswick woman will make history at this year’s Miss Universe Canada pageant.
At age 58, Lorraine Peters of Rothesay will be the oldest woman ever to compete for the crown.
Recently, the pageant removed a limitation on the age of competitors, which used to be 18 to 28 years old.
“The fact that I’ve been selected to be part of such an amazing competition at 58 years old is a dream come true for me,” Peters said in a recent interview.
Peters, who grew up in the New Brunswick border community of St. Stephen, has been competing in pageants since she was 15.
She has always had a gut feeling that she would have the chance to amplify her message to girls and women — she just was not sure how.
“Even though I had passed the age of 28 a long time ago, I still had this feeling that I was going to have the opportunity, and where there wasn’t a way, a way was made for me,” said Peters.
Peters has been going through a “tremendous amount” of preparation since applying in December and going through the selection process.
One of the things many people do not understand about pageants and how they work, she said, is the personality interview portion.
Contestants sit down individually with each judge and are asked about topics ranging from current affairs and world politics to pop culture and personal questions.
While contestants often spend time memorizing answers to many popular questions, Peters said a former Miss USA coached her not to do that.
“What we want to do is pick out three to five points that you really want to drive home about you. Then no matter what they ask you, you’re going to find a way to tie it to one of those areas that you want them to know about you,” she said.
“For example, I really think that what I bring to this competition at age 58 is my wisdom and my uniqueness. They’ve never seen somebody like me standing in front of them before ever.”
Peters said she hopes to send a message to younger women and girls that they are relevant no matter their age.
“Because I’m approaching 60 doesn’t mean that I’m not relevant. It doesn’t mean that what I have to say doesn’t matter.”
The Miss Universe Canada pageant takes place in Windsor, Ont., from July 20 to 28.
