Sylvan Lake’s Morgan Emery shines on international stage, takes home two awards

She said she met delegates from all across the globe and called it a surreal moment.

“It’s something I’ll never forget. It was an opportunity where I truly wasn’t just representing myself but an entire country and being a voice about what Canada and Alberta’s all about,” she said.

Admittedly, she was very nervous, but taking part in the competition, she said, felt like an amazing privilege.

“I’m very proud of the performance I had, and I wouldn’t have done anything different. It was a wonderful experience to be able to bring Canada to that environment,” Emery added.

Born and raised in Calgary, Emery moved to Sylvan Lake three years ago for work and a desire to get out of the city.

She began her pageant journey by becoming Miss Queen Alberta in 2024 as part of Personality Pageants Canada before being crowned Miss Personality Western Canada that same year.

Personality pageants are all about who you are as a person, your platform, your advocacy, and what you stand up for in your community rather than what you look like.

Not long after she was crowned Miss Queen Alberta, Emery founded and led The Crown Alberta Tour, a youth empowerment initiative that travelled throughout Alberta and eventually extended into the United States through a collaboration with Heaven Rev Garage in Montana.

She also launched her platform, Persistence Haven, in 2024, where she advocates for people with invisible disabilities such as mental health struggles.

She was inspired to start the non-profit organization as she was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia at a very young age.

She faced challenges throughout her life because of it and was told by doctors she’d be lucky to get through high school.

“For me, that’s so devastating that someone had already decided that because I had these diagnosis that, this is what my future could be,” she said.

“I had a dream to be able to make a difference because nothing is worse than having somebody say that you can’t. It takes one person to believe in somebody to make a world of difference.”

She didn’t let it define her and eventually graduated from Mount Royal University with a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice with a minor in psychology from Mount Royal University and is currently completing her Master of criminal justice through Bellevue University.

As a result, she works in community crime prevention and justice programming, supporting youth and individuals who are involved with, or at risk of becoming involved with, the justice system.

“People like myself need to have that support and not feel like they’re less than because I have felt that way, and it’s a never-ending battle,” she said.

Up next, she’s considering taking part in future international competitions now that she’s gotten her feet wet.

However, for now, she’s focused on taking further steps with Persistence Haven and her career.

by Ian Gustafson

Sylvan Lake’s Morgan Emery shines on international stage, takes home two awards

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