Hailey Hamelin-Wilson was crowned Miss Teen Canadian Teenager Globe 2020.
In 2021, at just 19, she became Miss Globe Canada, making her Canada's first Indigenous representative for Miss Globe. Miss Globe 2021 was held in Albania, where Hailey competed against 49 other representatives and placed fourth runner-up.
Hamelin-Wilson grew up in Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, Alta. She has been competing in powwows for over 10 years and dances fancy shawl for her special skill in pageants.
In May 2022, Hamelin-Wilson was asked to dance Jingle dress at the opening of a monument in her home nation dedicated to missing and murdered Indigenous women.
Indigenous women are disproportionally likely to be victims of violent crime. A report by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police stated nearly 1,200 Indigenous women were murdered or reported missing between 1980 and 2012. According to advocates, the number of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada during that time period is likely to be much higher. Hamelin-Wilson claims that the number of missing women in her nation alone is over 30.
When Hamelin-Wilson was 16, a difficult period in her home life made her consider giving up powwow altogether.
In an interview with Glacier Media, she described how a powerful dream changed the direction of her life forever. In her dream, she was standing on a stage dressed in beautiful regalia and surrounded by "a lot of lights flashing." When she awoke, she began recreating the pink and purple regalia and white moccasins from her dream.
"I just thought this was something that I need to do," she said.
Hamelin-Wilson is currently training to be an emergency medical assistant. If she enjoys the work, she plans to go back to school to study to be a paramedic. Once certified, she'd like to return to Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation; she says her community has no trained medical professionals and the nearest emergency care requires a 20-minute drive to the nearest town.
