Jaime VandenBerg: Beyond Miss Universe Canada 2025

In 2025, Jaime VandenBerg was crowned Miss Universe Canada, achieving a dream familiar to countless girls who have imagined themselves standing on that stage. But behind that moment of triumph was a story more than a decade in the making — one shaped by hard work, setbacks, second chances, and the determination to keep going.

FashionX spoke with VandenBerg about the unexpected beginning of her modelling career, her decade-long road to Miss Universe Canada, the experience that gave her a second chance at life, and how motherhood is shaping what comes next.

Before the titles, pageants, and modelling career, who was Jaime VandenBerg?

I grew up in rural Alberta and spent much of my childhood working at our family business, an RV dealership called Skyline. I started working there when I was just 12 years old.

My father is an entrepreneur, and growing up, he often spoke about the entrepreneurial spirit. As I’ve gotten older, I think what that really means is being the right combination of a dreamer and a doer. It’s one thing to have a dream, but you also have to be willing to put in the work to make it happen.

I think that lesson has shaped almost everything I’ve done in life.

Your modelling career began rather unexpectedly. How did it happen?

When I was 14, I got my first job outside the family business at a Quality Inn hotel. I would start at 5 a.m., running the continental breakfast and later helping with housekeeping.

I still remember the exact day modelling came into the picture. A soccer team was staying at the hotel for a tournament, and one of the players’ parents asked if I had ever considered modelling. I said no. She told me she thought I could make a career out of it. When I explained that I was only 14, she gave me her business card and told me to call her in a few years.

I went home that day and pinned her card to a corkboard in my room. A few years later, I finally called her.

I don’t think I truly considered modelling a career until I signed with Mode Models International and later established myself professionally in Mexico City, working with Wanted and Bang. That was when I realised something I had imagined for myself since I was 14 could actually become a career.

Helping others has long been part of your life. Where did it begin?

My first experience with volunteering was alongside my grandmother at the Interfaith Food Bank. I never really questioned whether I enjoyed volunteering — it was simply something we did. Helping others felt like a responsibility.

Later, when I learned that I was going to have a younger sister and there were complications during the pregnancy, I began volunteering at the Family Centre through a program with the Chinook Autism Society because I wanted to learn more about neurodivergence. That experience showed me that volunteering isn’t only about what you can give to someone else. It can also teach you, change you, and help you see the world differently.

That desire to help others also influenced my education. I studied philosophy and legal reasoning and wrote the LSAT, as I considered pursuing a career in law. What appealed to me was the opportunity to understand the legal system and use that knowledge to advocate for people who might struggle to navigate it on their own.

Although I no longer see myself pursuing that career path, justice and advocacy remain deeply important to me. I believe the system needs to do more to truly protect victims and support survivors.

There was an experience that changed both your life and the way you chose to help others. Could you tell us about it?

What drew me to working with survivors of violence was surviving violence myself.

On January 18, 2021, I found myself looking down the barrel of a revolver after being followed. At first, I thought I was being robbed, but I eventually realised that the man was trying to abduct me. When I pulled away, he pulled the trigger.

At that moment, a stranger intervened and ultimately saved my life. His actions moved the attacker’s arm just enough for the point-blank shot to miss me. Tragically, the man who came to my aid was himself shot in the process.

I will always be grateful to him for what he did. His courage gave me the chance to continue living — a chance I will never take for granted.

Afterward, I felt as though I had been given a second chance at life. Working with survivors through Victim Services gave me a way to turn one of the most terrifying moments of my life into something meaningful.

I wanted survivors of violence to know they were not alone. I also wanted to use my voice to raise awareness about violence against women, the need to better protect survivors, and the importance of supporting them throughout their recovery.

You’ve stepped onto international stages and climbed mountain peaks. Which takes more courage?

Climbing a mountain — without question.

For me, mountaineering is deeply therapeutic. While climbing Iztaccíhuatl, I reached a point where I wanted to give up. That was when I thought about the shooting — about how close I had come to losing my life, and how many women who experience violence never get the same chance to survive.

In that moment, I realised I wasn’t climbing only for myself, but also for the women who lost their lives as a result of violence.

That climb became a symbol of survival itself. You can find yourself at rock bottom, looking at something that feels impossible. But you take one step, then another. There are peaks and valleys, and sometimes the steps are incredibly small. Eventually, though, you can find yourself standing somewhere you never thought you could reach — feeling as though you’re on top of the world again.

When you became Miss Universe Canada in 2025, what did that moment mean to you personally?

For me, it meant that my dad was right.

Growing up, he always told me, “Never fail for lack of effort.” It’s okay to fail, but don’t fail because you didn’t try.

I first competed for Miss Universe Canada in 2015 and went unplaced. I was devastated, but I didn’t give up. I continued competing, learning, and gaining experience. When I returned a few years later, I did significantly better, but I still didn’t win.

So when I finally became Miss Universe Canada in 2025, I could hardly believe it myself. I had lost more pageants than I had won.

More than anything, the crown represented perseverance. A dream doesn’t always come true the first time you try — or even the second or third. But hard work and persistence can take you somewhere you once only dreamed of reaching.

You represented Canada at Miss Universe while pregnant. How did that shift your priorities?

Every decision I made became about protecting my baby.

Whether it was my diet, training, or even how I managed stress, I stopped asking myself how something would affect my performance at Miss Universe and started thinking about how it would affect my baby.

Miss Universe was an incredibly important moment in my career, but being pregnant gave me an entirely different perspective. For the first time, my own performance was no longer the most important thing. My baby’s well-being came first.

How has motherhood changed you — and the way you think about ambition?

I wouldn’t say my ambitions have changed. Rather, I’ve started to see them differently.

When I returned to Miss Universe Canada to pass on my crown to the next winner, I still wanted to show up professionally and be there for the contestants throughout the week. But now, as a mother, I had to acknowledge that I needed help. I brought my own mother with me to help care for Charlotte, and I brought everything I needed to rehearsals, including my breast pumps.

I think that’s what ambition looks like for me now. I haven’t stopped pursuing the things that matter to me. I’ve simply learned that sometimes doing so means accepting support from the people around you and adapting to new circumstances.

I’m incredibly grateful for the support I received from my partner Aaron, the Miss Universe Canada organization, and my Miss Universe sisters throughout this journey.

Is there a dream you would still love to pursue?

Absolutely. Before my pregnancy, I had just started exploring acting, and I would love to return to it. One of my biggest dreams is to star in a feature film one day.

I’ve had the opportunity to work in many different areas, but acting feels like a new challenge and a different form of storytelling. There is still so much I would love to explore in that world.

Who is Jaime VandenBerg becoming in this next chapter?

I think one of the most beautiful things about life is that every day gives us an opportunity to discover something new about who we are.

Right now, in this postpartum chapter, every day gives me an opportunity to discover who I’m becoming in my new role as a mother. I don’t think we always need to have all the answers or know exactly who we’re going to become.

Sometimes, we can simply enjoy the process of becoming.

Photos courtesy of Jaime VandenBerg

Instagram: @missjaimeyvonne

By Catherine Mills