Vanessa Littler

A Nursing Student Crowned

Last year, Vanessa Littler was one of many talented nursing students studying at Cape Breton University. Fast forward a few months later, and Vanessa is still a bright student at CBU, but she’s doing it while wearing a crown.

Vanessa was born and raised in Glace Bay, N.S., where she still resides today. This past spring she was offered a once of a lifetime opportunity to compete in the Miss Canada Globe Pageant, an internationally recognized pageant that places importance on education and equality for all women in Canada. As a result of a bit of dabbling in modeling, a pageant scout sought her out as she believed Vanessa was a good candidate for the pageant. The scout was right. Vanessa was awarded the regional title of Miss Northern Nova Scotia, and represented the area in the pageant this summer.

The Miss Canada Globe Pageant was the first pageant that Vanessa has ever participated in. With a warm Cape Breton personality, and a sparkling smile, Vanessa greeted the judges. Quickly after their first introduction, the girls began the pageant process and were whittled down to the top 10. After nine girls were called, Vanessa was getting nervous. “I was sure I didn’t make it because my name starts with a “V” and the names went in alphabetical order. I was the last to be called for everything!”

After competing in an evening gown and swimsuit event, Vanessa was again passed through to the final five round of judging. “At this point I was extremely nervous because the top five had to answer a question on stage,” says Vanessa. “After hearing my question I smiled and kind of forgot I was on stage. I answered as if I was talking to a friend…I let the audience see my true self. They laughed and I felt good about it.”

All of the hard work and training that Vanessa put into the pageant paid off, because she was crowned as first runner-up for the Miss Canada Globe Pageant. This title didn’t last for long though. The winner of the pageant could not accept the responsibilities of being crowned the winner, so next in line, was CBU’s Vanessa Littler.

When asked how she felt when she was crowned Miss Canada Globe a few weeks after the competition, she said, “To keep it simple…shocked. I’m excited that I now have the opportunity to not only represent Canada at Miss Globe Worldwide, but also act as a role model, visit and spend time with various charities. This title gives me the chance to further my community involvement, and I plan to do so.”

After her whirlwind competition in Toronto, Vanessa was thrown right back into the action as school started again in September. Being a BSc nursing student is challenging in many ways, but CBU nursing faculty work to enhance and support student learning. Vanessa appreciates all the opportunities CBU has to offer, noting that at CBU, you’re not just a student to your professors, but a person whom they care for. “The class sizes are fairly small in my program, so you get to know your professors,” she says. “It’s more than just taking notes and listening in class. Everyone is able to interact and discuss topics openly.”