Mrs. Canada International®

Patricia Celan

What's the most sensible thing you've ever heard someone say?
My favourite quote is, "Give. But don’t allow yourself to be used. Love. But don’t allow your heart to be abused. Trust. But don’t be naive. Listen. But don’t lose your own voice." This quote speaks to the necessity for balance. We must be careful to not be taken advantage of or to lose ourselves, while continuing to give each other the benefit of the doubt and treat each other with kindness and support.

What gets you excited about life?
What gets me excited about life is seeing the results of helping people who are struggling. For me, that typically means advising friends through relationship difficulties, treating patients at work who are debilitated by mental illness, or supporting someone in an abusive situation to escape the trauma. Watching people overcome their problems, fears, or adversity, and knowing I contributed, is very rewarding. The resiliency of the human spirit continues to inspire me.

If you had to teach something what would you teach?
If I could teach the world anything, it would be increased compassion. Humanity is capable of so much good, yet people often turn their empathy off because of differences such as gender, race, species, and more. I would like to teach people to consistently expand their empathy to everyone, recognizing that we are all living beings who are capable of love or suffering, and we are all worthy of equal compassion.

How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?
If I didn’t know how old I am, I might assume that I am a couple decades older. Childhood experiences forced me to grow up too fast, so I have packed a lot of life into my young years, already accomplishing many of my goals. While I am grateful that facing adversity drove me to success, I hope to support and promote escaping abuse, because children deserve to be children for as long as possible.

What is your idea of a fun date night?
My idea of a fun date night is flexible! I can enjoy a sunset hike to a scenic viewpoint, or the thrill of skydiving, or community volunteering together, or getting cozy and snuggling up to watch a movie. I have found that a good date night is not determined by what I do, but whom I do it with – and spending time with my soul mate always ends up being fun one way or another.