Kyla Arnett is not a typical pageant girl.
"I'm more the type of girl to go and shovel horse manure," said the 18-year-old who grew up in Mackenzie and graduated high school in Prince George. She is using the Miss Teenage Canada process not to covet a red carpet, she's doing it to fight.
"I suffer from anxiety. I have since elementary school," she said. "I've never told that to anyone else. But it was even hard coming in here to talk to you. I've learned some techniques, like breathing and making jokes, and putting myself in situations I can grow from."
The internal battle is one issue, but she has a broader war to wage as well. Others call it disabled or handicapped or many other terms, but she calls it Kristi, the 13-year-old cousin she loves so much.
"I saw it as an opportunity to promote my own chosen platform which is to help children - help reduce the stigma around people with disabilities," she said. "I am involved with the Therapeutic Riding Association, working with children who have special needs and developing their confidence and self esteem by engaging them in the riding experience."
Arnett saw the value of therapeutic riding at an early age while watching her cousin, Kirsti, who has a significant developmental disability, engage in a therapeutic riding program.
"I could see the shift in Kirsti from a shy, introverted child to a child who became confident and expressive when engaging with the therapy horse. I would like to help others develop a greater understanding and ability to see the potential each individual possesses, rather than defining people by their disabilities."
Her agricultural work ethic has been applied to her studies. Arnett graduated high school a year early and enrolled in the Human Resource Management program at CNC. She took five courses during the fall semester while holding down four jobs and volunteering for the causes she feels passionate about. Some of her jobs aren't exactly stereotypical of someone involved in a pageant.
"Last summer I worked at a fish camp in Alaska as a first aid attendant [she has Level 3 certification] and kitchen assistant. But after they saw me cut up tomatoes, they wouldn't let me touch the fish," Arnett said.
This week she got the news that she had made the cut for the university portion of the joint program with CNC.
"She really needs the support of the whole community to rally around her," said college spokeswoman Annette Stevens. "CNC is very proud of her."
She needed sponsors to make it this far - the provincial segment was held March 1 and 2 in Vancouver - with eight girls advancing from the initial cast of 20-plus. Two of those have since withdrawn, so Team BC will be Arnett in the Miss Northern BC sash and five others travelling to Toronto in July for the finals.
To get there she has to raise $2,500 for the entry fee (plus travel costs) and raise funds beyond that for the pageant's official charity, Free The Children. The amount of money raised by each participant adds points to their score even before the different judgment components take place.
Arnett must also get Facebook "likes" to score preliminary points (she was leading the nation at 687 as of Thursday) and direct online votes when the online ballot goes live from July 19 to 27. Enough of these preliminary points can vault a participant automatically into the Top 20.
Arnett will be holding a dance with deejay Colton (DjApollo) Fawcett, a bottle drive, and is open to sponsorship and fundraising suggestions.
She is also doing volunteer work in the meantime, from being a guest speaker in Mackenzie on the topic of disabilities to sorting donated clothing for the victims of last week's 10th Avenue/Central Street fire because she drove past as it was happening and felt moved to do what she could for the displaced family.
"I see this Miss Teenage Canada process as a way to connect me with my communities of Mackenzie and Prince George, and to reduce stigmas on people with disabilities," she said.
For more information, look up Kyla Arnett - Miss Teen Northern British Columbia 2014 on Facebook or see her blog at missteennorthernbritishcolumbia.com.
