Anne Doig, a Grade 10 student at St. Michael Catholic Secondary School in Stratford, brought home the gold medal in aesthetics for the second year in a row from this year’s Skills Ontario Competition in Toronto.
While her first time winning gold in aesthetics at last year’s annual Skills Ontario Competition happened in front of her computer, Anne Doig proved this year she’s just as good, if not better, when competing in person.
Vying against the best of the best in Ontario, the St. Michael Catholic secondary school Grade 10 student won gold in the aesthetics category for the second year in a row at the Toronto Congress Centre-hosted competition. A unique opportunity for talented students to demonstrate they are at the top of their fields, competition winners are awarded gold, silver and bronze medals, and the opportunity to compete at the Skills Canada National Competition.
“We went to Toronto, and I had to do a pedicure, a manicure and a facial, which was different than last time. I didn’t have to do a facial last year. … I was nervous because people were watching me the whole time I was doing it. Sometimes they were standing behind me or a few feet away, and I didn’t know if they were looking at me,” Doig said.
Since the 2022 competition employed a virtual format because of the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 impact, this year’s event was a much different experience for Doig, teacher Kathleen vonEuw noted.
“This was our first year back in person,” said vonEuw, St. Mike’s technological education department head. “Last year, it was virtual because of COVID, so it was much different. Last year, she competed at the school here, and then this year she got to compete alongside everybody, so it was a different vibe for sure.”
Dedicated to her craft and having had her first taste of gold, Doig had been practicing for this year’s Skills Ontario since she returned from last year’s competition. With the guidance of vonEuw, Doig said she practiced each of her aesthetics skills at school, as well as on friends and family at home.
“I practiced on my parents and aunts and uncles at home in the living room. … They were really supportive and they liked it when I practiced on them,” Doig said.
That effort, vonEuw said, was evident at the competition
“I’m just so proud,” vonEuw added. “She put in so much effort on the weekends. She came in during March Break. She’s been practicing since last year. Even though we didn’t see each other every day this year in class, she still maintained all the true work ethic you need to do well at skills.”
And Anne wasn’t the only member of the Doig family to bring home a gold medal from this year’s Skills Ontario Competition. Her younger brother was also part of a team of Grade 7 and 8 students from St. Mary’s School in Listowel that won gold for building a monorail in the LEGO mechanical engineering category.
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