At the grand finale of the 13th edition of Miss Universe Canada 2015 held on 23 May 2015, Paola Nunez Valdez was crowned Miss Universe Canada 2015 by the outgoing Queen, Chanel Beckenlehner. Paola will now represent Canada at the Miss Universe 2015. Paola competed against 57 other contestants to clinch the title. At the same event Michelle McKay was placed first runner up, Kathryn Kohut was placed second runner up, Brynn Blackwood was placed third runner up and Skye Nwaelleh was placed fourth runner up respectively.
Paola Nunez was born in the Dominican Republic, she moved to Canada along with her family at the age of 10. Paola made it her mission to become fluent in English to avoid being bullied in the school; she graduated as an honors student with an academic achievement award. Paola is a talented dancer. She has extensively trained in numerous dance forms including jazz, hip hop, ballroom, samba and belly dance. She started dancing when she was only six years old and made her television debut as a child artist at the age of seven.
She has keen interest in sports and participated in Track and Field, Volleyball, Soccer and Basketball. She was also trained in jazz, hip hop, ballroom, samba and belly dance. As a captain of her school dance team, she won numerous trophies and awards. In addition to sports and dancing, she worked as a model, appearing on fashion shows for fundraisers to support worthy causes. She is not a newbie in the pageant industry and this was her third pageant. She will graduate in business-accounting at Humber College in June and hopes to open her own restaurant someday.
“I was born in Santiago, the second largest metropolis in the Dominican Republic. I can say that I had a very happy childhood. I grew up with all my cousins, uncles and aunts, as well as my grandmother and we all lived in one big house. My favorite time of the year was always when Christmas came around. We would have a big traditional Dominican dinner, play games and dance the night away. This is something that I truly miss now as I had to leave behind the rest of my family when I moved to Canada at the age of ten. Family is something that I value the most, and I find that the biggest joy in life is the time and memories you share with your loved ones” - Paola Nunez Valdez on her childhood.