V.B. Entering pageants to continue your grandmother's beautiful ritual is an inspiring thing. How exactly do you plan on helping children with this newfound power?
M.V. My family and I have been organizing annual Dinner and Dance Fundraisers, in order to raise funds to build shelter for abused children in Brazil. After winning the title of Miss Universe Canada, I was able to have the support of a lot more people. With a title like this, you have a voice, so I used that voice to help in a much bigger scale.
V.B. I see you enter many pageants that reflect your ethnicity. What does your heritage mean to you?
M.V. To me, my heritage is everything that I am. I love being able to say that I have 2 homes, 2 cultures mixed into 1. I’m born Brazilian and Canadian by heart.
V.B. Having all this experience with pageants, would you say there are downfalls to pageants i.e. weight/physical requirements or cattiness amongst other girls? What is your advice to girls who would like to follow in your footsteps?
M.V. During my experience with pageants, I realized that these competitions give women an opportunity to show that we are smart, beautiful, and can make a difference at the same time. To me, it is only a positive experience, if you are able to stay true to yourself and see this as an opportunity to grow as a strong woman. So my advice to other girls would be exactly that - enjoy it, and stay true to yourself.
V.B. What is your take on "toddlers in tiaras?" Of course, younger children should have a chance to participate in something that allows you to make the world a better place, but what about the whole pageant scene? Like young girls waxing their eyebrows, suntanning, and getting cosmetic surgery - or the pedophilia often associated with it?
M.V. I have to say that as a child, you are not exactly aware of the influence competitions have in your life. It could be a positive experience, if done as a fun, dress-up kind of game. Like everything in life, if things are taken too seriously - where it affects your health and takes the childhood experiences away from a child - then it turns into something negative.
V.B. You decided to open a personal training studio with your fiance. How do you train the contestants? Do you have a certain strategy?
M.V. My fiancé, Michael, and I opened a personal training studio called The Fit Loft. We are the official training studio of Miss Universe Canada. With my experience as a titleholder and Michael’s experience as a trainer, we train the winner both physically and mentally.
V.B. How do you keep so fit? Do you have a certain diet and/or exercise regimen?
M.V. I’m naturally thin, but exercise is a big part of my life. I love being able to push my body to new levels. With Michael being a trainer, and now myself in the industry as well, it becomes second nature to workout. I don’t follow a diet, but I do eat healthy.
V.B. With your expertise in pageants, if you were to create a newer pageant, what would it entail?
M.V. I think that if I were to create a new pageant, it would involve exactly what we have today. The way pageants are today women have an opportunity to compete and demonstrate their intelligence; but at the same time, they are exposed to life changing experiences. It truly becomes an experience of a lifetime.
V.B. What are your future goals, in terms of modelling and/or other areas?
M.V. For now I’m concentrating in growing in the fitness industry. Modeling will always be part of my life, but just as a hobby. The personal training studio is my focus now.
