South Surrey Miss Canada contestant puts focus on health care

When women from across the country compete for the title of Miss Universe Canada in just a few weeks, South Surrey will be represented.

Contestant Gloren Guelos is a nurse for seniors in the Lower Mainland community and is hoping to shine a light on her experiences at the high stakes competition.

Guelos, who is also known as Glow, says she’s seen first-hand how the pandemic has hit certain communities as a frontline worker. She tells CityNews her work has fuelled her passion to advocate for better access to health care.

“I want to be able to help people who have low income right now find support in their health care as I become a hopeful Miss Universe Canada. My goal is to provide that resource; that accessibility for people who have low income so that they don’t have to neglect their health,” she said.

Guelos says the Miss Canada stage provides a much needed platform to help put a spotlight on this important issue.

“We can provide this opportunity for people that are maybe losing their jobs or maybe they’re new to Canada. I think that there’s a gap between information and I want to be able to gather these resources so that I can distribute it to places such as immigration offices, or secondary schools and colleges, or different workplaces, so people there can easily access health related resources,” she said.

“I know that this will take a lot of work, but with all the experience that I’ve had, I am ready. Not just as a nurse; not just as an instructor; but also as, hopefully, the next Miss Universe Canada,” Guelos said.

She says she noticed a big impact the pandemic has had on people across many industries.

“I realized that because of COVID, many people, especially in my classroom setting, many of my students lost their jobs in other industries, which is why they wanted to become health care workers. They realized that health care needs more support and it has become in demand.”

While she acknowledges the pandemic has been full of challenges for health care workers around the world, Guelos says she’s staying optimistic.

“We have so much going on around us and the world keeps changing, but let’s let’s reflect from time to time… With everything that is going on, I do believe that there is hope at the end of the tunnel. And though it is hard right now, let’s find something that will make us feel alive again.”

Guelos is not new to the pageantry circuit. She was crowned Miss BC in 2016, Miss Supranational Canada 2019, and Miss Earth Canada in 2020, which was a virtual competition, amid the height of the pandemic.

“During COVID I ended up participating in Miss Earth Canada just to see how well I would do virtually, and just to challenge myself. It was a time where I wanted to talk about my advocacy as well being a nurse. I ended up winning Miss Earth Canada 2020, and I realized that I have to go for my biggest dream to compete on the biggest platform in pageantry, which is now here at Miss Universe Canada 2022.”

Now, the pageant world is finally reopening to in-person competitions.

“There’s a lot of preparations behind this just because it is the largest pageant on an international stage, as well as here in our country. And I think that it’s really exciting as well just to do something — I can’t say ‘post-COVID’ yet — but now that things are slowly opening up. I think that this is something really exciting for me — it’s a new adventure.”

If she wins on May 14th, Guelos will go on to represent Canada internationally at the Miss Universe competition, which has been a goal of hers since she was little.

“I grew up in the Philippines. I just wanted to become a nurse one day and when I moved to Canada in 2008 a pageant opportunity was shown to me by my mom in an advertisement through a newspaper. And when I won in 2016 at my very first provincial pageant, I realized that there’s something here. I looked back and I thought, Miss Universe has always been a dream of mine since I was a little girl watching it on TV, and wearing my grandma’s heels…”

In 2018, Guelos competed in her first Miss Universe Canada pageant, and placed top 20.

“Then I just kept pushing myself just motivating myself, and through that experience I am seeing that, yes, I am stronger; yes, I am more confident, and I am more loving of myself.”

“I’ve learned that this is something that I find empowering not only for myself, but for all the causes and the people around me.”

And to future nurses and pageant queens alike, she has one message:

“As they say, ‘life is short, time is gold.’ And I hope that whatever you all do in the future, that you do it with confidence and determination that you can do anything.”

Miss Universe Canada is on May 14th.