Be the change you want to see in the world

Be The Change You Want to see in the World

My name is Maddison Fysh and I grew up in London, Ontario. I always had dreams of being involved within the athletic industry. I’ve played sports my whole childhood and academic career including basketball, volleyball, baseball, rowing, dancing, figure skating, and track and field. Didn’t really know anything else. I grew up in a sport-oriented family with cousins playing in professional leagues. I wanted to follow in those footsteps until one day my life changed forever.

In my second year of University

In my second year of University and I received an email asking if I was interested in competing for the Miss Universe Canada Pageant. I knew absolutely NOTHING about pageants, hair, make up, beauty etc. Mind you, I was scouted a few years back with a modeling agency in my hometown where I took a few classes and started to build a portfolio. I always assumed the fashion industry was untrusting and mysterious from what people told me so that is why I didn’t pay much attention until I was approached. I did not even dream about what was going to happen next.

Miss Universe Canada

Here I am standing backstage ready for compete for the preliminary finals for the Miss Universe Canada Pageant. I went through all the training, met lovely girls also competing, learned how to walk in heels, got the dress…everything I needed to successfully win. Unfortunately, I did not win. I was distraught and confused. Why didn’t I win? I did everything I needed to do to be a “pageant girl”. Well it turns out I didn’t. I trusted the wrong people in the process and it ended badly.

My dress sucked and my shoes were too big. I was ready to throw in the towel as they call it and just use it as an experience until a member of the Miss Universe Team came up to me and asked, “What happened?”. I couldn’t answer the question because I didn’t even know. They suggested I take a year to train harder and to come back next year. At first I laughed and thought to myself, “I’m never doing something like this again”, until my intuition kicked in. Something inside me told me to hold on, toughen up, get smarter, and do it again. So I did.

New York Fashion Week

A year goes by and I’m stronger as ever. I did my homework, worked with the right people, hired a trainer, and hit that stage with nothing but confidence and excitement knowing I had what it took to win. A lot went on in my mind that night I competed. The stage felt the same but my presence felt different. The faces were familiar, but the environment was different. Time passed and we were at the final stage of the competition where they called the final 5 going to Nationals. My name was called. I WON! I was going to Nationals. To this day, I cannot fully explain the feelings and thoughts that went through my mind. All I knew is that my family and friends were there to support me and my hard work paid off.

Shooting on scene (behind the scenes shot)

A few months go by and I am arriving at the destination of the Miss Universe Canada National finals in Toronto, Ontario. Nationals were a week of intense competition, sleepless nights, and vigorous training. Apart from that, it was a week of a lifetime that I will cherish forever. The women I met from all over the country was a blessing on its own. I know a lot of people have their own opinion about pageants, and I did too, but these women were smart, beautiful women who truly wanted to make a difference in the world. To this day I am still friends with many of them and they will most likely be attending my wedding someday.

Swimsuit USA Canadian Finals

The week of Nationals passed and I am again standing on stage waiting for the final results to see if I move on or not. It seems like I never left the stage. Believe it or not, I placed in the final National ranking. I was blown away. For a girl who never stepped foot in the pageant industry, to placing in a pageant like this…amazing. Even though I did not win, I was truly ok with the outcome. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

From that day forward my life has forever changed. I have achieved many accomplishments since then including:

·      Top Runway Model of Canada 2015 (Top Model Search)

·      Swimsuit USA/Canada 1st Runner Up

·      SuperModel of Canada Top 5 Ranking

·      Model in New York for New York Fashion Week

·      Completed my BA in Sociology and Psychology

Document photo from New York

This is just a “brief” story of what my life has been like for the past 2 ½ years since I received that email. Sometimes I catch myself reminiscing about who I WAS and who I AM now. I have changed in many ways but for the better. I’ve grown up. I’ve been able to see the world in so many different ways that it has taught me to become and feel more blessed than ever.

Before all of these events happened,I came from a bad time in my life.  I didn’t know where to turn to, nor know what to do. It’s like the Universe knew and gave me a little push to dive right in. In that moment in time I had two choices. One, to sit around and let the negativity eat me alive. Two, to get up brush myself off and put one foot in front of the other. What one do you think I chose?

Shooting on scene (behind the scenes shot in Punta Cana)

Shooting on scene (behind the scenes shot for Mercedes Benz)

Today, I am living a life I could never have dreamed of. I have an amazing family, my friends are phenomenal, I have people who love me, and I feel like a whole new woman. If there was one lesson that I could choose to share out of the many that I’ve learned in this ongoing journey, it’s to, “Never let someone say that you can’t do something. Live in the moment, be passionate, work hard, love harder, and know that you are unique. Be the change you want to see in the world”.