Heather Hill can now add Mrs. Calgary 2023 to her list of roles.

This is on top of being a mom to two young children, a wife and having a career.

The 43-year-old Cochrane resident was awarded the title on June 10 at the Strathcona Community Centre in southwest Calgary.

She said she will spend the next year using her role to inspire others.

"That's pretty much what the crown is, giving back to the community, a lot of charity work, and a lot of fundraising for the upcoming year."

Heather Hill Heather Hill popped by 91.5 CochraneNow to chat with Eric Ruttle and Lauren Meister 

Hill competed against 11 other ladies in the annual pageantry competition.

Not living in Calgary was not an issue as you can live within a 50-mile radius of the city to participate.

She was the only Cochrane resident competing for the Mrs. title. 

As far as the competition goes, Hill said you're judged on a few components including the talent competition, and there's a fashion competition. There, the judges look for poise and confidence on stage. 

Unlike other pageants, Hill laughed when asked whether or not there was a swimsuit portion to the competition. 

"There was no swimsuit, but instead they do a category called resort wear, so anything from what you would wear on a vacation down south, so mine was just a nice long dress, no bikinis here, I'm a mom of two, those days are done." 

Heather Hill Heather Hill - Mrs. Calgary 2023 (Photo Credit Cszmurlo Photography)

Hill has lived in Canada for just over a decade, becoming a Canadian citizen just a year ago. 

Her father was a U.S. military colonel, which meant she had the opportunity to grow up all over the world, including in places such as Japan, Thailand, China, and several states including Hawaii and Florida. 

She participated in pageants in high school in Florida, but it had been quite a few years since she was involved in the pageant scene.

Hill said the spark for getting back into the pageant world was ignited again last September here in Cochrane.

"I was in the audience of the Cochrane parade last Labour Day, and the girls were walking down the street and it said Calgary Pageants on their truck and they were just radiating and they were just so inspiring. I think they hugged my daughter, my son, or maybe both. I was like, yes, this is my time, I have my career, I have my kids, I have my husband, why not add this to my busy plate?!'

Heather Hill

Having moved around a lot in her lifetime, Hill is hoping to focus her charity work on newcomers to Canada. 

"I was a newcomer myself, I've lived in Canada now for over 10 years, I finally became a citizen last year, and I've lived in Calgary and now Cochrane for a while. So I know what it's like to be a newcomer to most locations, how to fit in, especially for children, you're at a new school, a new location, where do you fit into all of this." 

Hill will be in Cochrane at various community events over the next year and is looking forward to meeting local residents.