Latest / Community Champion of the Week / Mya McDowell, Miss Queen Treaty 8

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Mya McDowell, Miss Queen Treaty 8 · Community Champion of the Week

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: Windspeaker Radio Network's Community Champion of the Week.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: Hi, I'm Maya McDowell.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Miss Canada United World.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: I'm a motivational speaker, a model, and a registered nurse.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm excited to be this week's community champion with the network.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_01: So you're making such an impact, not just here in Alberta, across Canada.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_01: You do a lot of motivational speaking, lots of keynote speaking, lots of uh, you know, leadership opportunities for the for the youth, especially women.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_01: How does it make you feel making an impact in the community?
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: You know, as simple as it is, I'm an aunt.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: I've been an aunt since the age of five years old.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: I have eight nieces and nephews, and I see myself in them every day.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: And when one of my nieces told me, she said, You make me want to be a better me.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: You make me want to make good choices, and you make me want to have dreams and accomplishments to work towards.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: And that to me almost brought me to tears.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I think I see a lot of myself within these young Indigenous youth, and for them to have dreams bigger and to know that everything that they need is within them is honestly such an achievement in and of itself.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_01: You are an overachiever, eh, Maya?
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_01: Like Miss Canada, you were going to Texas, Santa Fe.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_01: Tell us, tell us here with the network.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: What's the most proudest achievement you've done so far?
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: 2024, I had the privilege of doing an interview with CTV News, and that was broadcasted all over the nation.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: And to see myself, to see a picture of myself not only walking the stage to get my degree, but also standing in front of my community with that Denada First Nation flag, that was a huge honor in and of itself.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so proud of where I come from and where I'm rooted.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_01: So, who do you owe your success to?
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_01: Because you got an incredible inspiring story.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: I want to say my brother Dustin.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, when I lost my dad at an early age, and I've watched my mom struggle with her day school experience, with substance, with her mental health and well-being.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: My brother Dustin was really there for me.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: He stepped up to the plate and he worked really hard to get us the opportunities that brought us to where we are today.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: And when I say us, I mean me and my other brother.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: He really stepped up to the plate and made sure we didn't go without ever.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_01: So, Maya, tell us the best advice you would like to give to the next generation of youth and next leaders.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: Because you do a lot of motivational talks.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, that's a great question.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: I guess just the connection, really.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like I may get to travel to all these cool places and experiencing these things, but for me, the greatest impact just in my personal journey has been the stories that I've not only told, but that I've received from other people.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: Hearing their journey, where they're at today, what they do for their community, it's a huge motivation to myself.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: I've said it once and I'll say it again that everything you need is within you.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: I think all of us go through adversity.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: We see hardships, we experience grief, but everything that you need is within you.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: You are capable of so much and even more than you think.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_01: This has been the Windspeaker Radio Network Community Champion of the Week.