“Another limitation that I felt that I had at the time was my anxiety. It was so bad to the point where I was passing out all the time and I just became so overwhelmed where my thoughts would just lead me to the ground,” explains Morrison.
Morrison’s presentation drew a diverse audience of students, each of them finding inspiration in Morrison’s story for unique reasons. Among them was Addisyn Helmle, an Indigenous student aspiring to attain a PhD in the future.
“I really connected to what she had to say and it, I think it’s so great that we have, as an Indigenous woman, we have a representative of who we are and what we can achieve,” Helmle says.
Grade 10 student Makena Duncan was inspired by Morrison’s experience with anxiety and working through stage fright.
“I thought she did a really great job. You would never know, unless she told you, that she was not very confident as a kid because she just exuded confidence,” says Duncan.
Now that Morrison has won Miss World Canada, her sights are set on Miss World’s in 2024.
“I really just want to do the best that I can to represent all the Canadians, but also Indigenous people,” Morrison says.
Morrison will be touring other Medicine Hat schools until Friday. Those wanting to support her on her journey can follow her on social media.