By Lloyd Dolha
Shannon Baker, a Carrier Dene from the Stellat’en First Nation near Fraser Lake is one of 56 finalists to compete for the title of Miss Universe Canada. The stunning 5’9‘ beauty will travel to Montreal at the end of February to compete in the 2007 pageant which will take place on March 5th at the Casino de Montreal. “It feels wonderful. I’m really happy to compete in this event,” said the twenty-three year old.
The Vancouver actor who also manages her own successful modeling career with her twin sister Shauna, has been seen in a number of television shows, films and videos. Recently, she and Shauna made a celebrity guest appearance on “The Tyra Banks Show” and the pair also appeared in a recent episode of “Smallville.” Shannon has also had roles in films such as “Sharp as Marbles,” “Night of Removal,” “Time after Place,” and “Family Portraits” She has also appeared in several music videos and has been featured in Vancouver Magazine and Canadian Living. Her most recent project is a calender called BT Girls (Beautiful and Talented) featuring Native American women who are role models for their people. The calender is due out in 2008.
In her bid for Miss Universe Canada Shannon is being sponsored by Selkin Logging Ltd, of Fraser Lake and the Penticton Indian Band. A recent fundraiser in Penticton raised an additional $15,000 and in her home community of Stellat’en, another $3,000 was raised. The new Miss Universe Canada will go on to compete for the title of Miss Universe in the United States. The exact date and location of that event will be announced in late spring or early summer.
The Miss Universe Canada pageant was created in 2003, with the first winner of the new Canadian competition being Leanne Marie Cecile, who finished in the top fifteen in Miss Universe 2002. Three of the past four Miss Universe Canada winners have placed in the finals of Miss Universe The winner of the Canadian pageant in 2005, Ms.Natalie Glebova, went on to win the title of Miss Universe.
Shannon Baker, who is also pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree and recently completed her third year at Langara College, clearly takes her celebrity seriously. “I believe as a First Nations person, I have a responsibility of continuing to be a good role model,” said Shannon. “I was raised knowing my First Nations values and I believe with hard work and sacrifice, you can be anything you want in life.”
Anyone wishing to assist in Shannon Baker’s bid for Miss Universe Canada can contact her at shannon@thebakertwins.com
