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Nova Stevens (née Nyawal Bukjok; born 5 May 1992) is a Canadian model, activist, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe Canada 2020. As Miss Universe Canada, she represented Canada at Miss Universe 2020, making her the first woman of South Sudanese origin to compete at the pageant. Stevens is also a professional model and an activist for Black Lives Matter.

Early life

Stevens was born as Nyawal Bukjok in Kenya to South Sudanese parents fleeing the Second Sudanese Civil War. When she was six years old, the family sent her to Canada in order for her to have a better life; her parents and siblings later settled in Ethiopia. Stevens grew up with various relatives in Alberta and Ontario.

At age 15, Stevens left home and began living on her own. The following year, she moved to New York City and began working as a professional model, until moving to Vancouver in 2014, to continue her modelling career and venture into acting.

Activism

Amidst the George Floyd protests, Stevens became a prominent activist for Black Lives Matter in Vancouver. Along with activist Shamika Mitchell, Stevens organized the Freedom March in June 2020, which saw over 15,000 people protesting against racism and police brutality while celebrating Juneteenth. Following the success of the march, Stevens and Mitchell organized other marches and events in support of Black Lives Matter within Vancouver. Stevens and Mitchell were instrumental in lobbying for Mayor Kennedy Stewart to declare August 1 as Emancipation Day in Vancouver.

Stevens is a spokesperson for the nonprofit organization Keep6ix, which provides assistance to underprivileged youth wrongly accused of criminal activity. She additionally has volunteered with Operation Smile and Feed it Forward.

Pageantry

Stevens participated in Miss Universe Canada 2014 and Miss Universe Canada 2018.

In 2020, Stevens participated in the Miss Universe Canada 2020 competition, which she went on to win. She had initially decided to retire from pageantry, but was inspired to continue competing after Zozibini Tunzi was crowned Miss Universe 2019. Prior to competing in the pageant, Stevens had stated that she would use the platform to amplify her message of supporting Black Lives Matter and racial justice.

Following her win, she represented Canada at the Miss Universe 2020 competition, where she did not place in the Top 21.

References

1. ^ Bains, Pahull (October 20, 2020). "My Story: Model Nova Stevens on Beauty Pageants, Activism and More". Fashion Magazine.
2. Johal, Rumneek (June 19, 2020). "Black Vancouver's "March in unity" will commemorate Juneteenth today". Daily Hive.
3. Shepert, Elana (June 29, 2020). "Organizer of powerful 'Juneteenth' march plans new rally in Vancouver". Vancouver Is Awesome.
4. ^ Singh, Simran (October 24, 2020). "Vancouver's Nova Stevens brings anti-racism advocacy to the stage at Miss Universe Canada". Daily Hive.
5. "Nova Stevens". Miss Universe Canada. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
6. Devlin, Megan (August 2, 2020). "Vancouver recognizes August 1 as Emancipation Day". Daily Hive.
7. ^ Singh, Simran (October 25, 2020). "Vancouver anti-racism advocate Nova Stevens crowned Miss Universe Canada". Daily Hive.
8. "Miss Universe 2019: 'May every little girl see their faces reflected in mine'". BBC. 9 December 2019.

External links

• Nova Stevens on Instagram

• 1993 births
• Activists from British Columbia
• People from Nairobi
• Black Canadian women
• Black Lives Matter people
• Canadian beauty pageant winners
• Canadian civil rights activists
• Women civil rights activists
• Canadian expatriates in the United States
• Female models from British Columbia
• Canadian people of South Sudanese descent
• Canadian women activists
• South Sudanese emigrants to Canada
• Living people
• Miss Universe 2020 contestants
• Miss Universe Canada winners
• People from Vancouver
• South Sudanese female models
• Black Canadian activists