A young girl in Calgary has set her sights on a life in politics and she doesn’t plan to stop until she reaches the top.
Nine-year-old Marigold Mioc spends most of her time giving speeches to empower other young girls and raising money for refugees, but her ultimate goal is to be the youngest Canadian prime minister.
“(If you) get involved…things will start to change,” she told CTV News.
To raise money for sponsorship of a Syrian refugee family and to help cover the costs of an upcoming trip to visit a girls’ school in Kenya, Mioc sells unicorn headbands online and in several shops around Alberta.
“I think (it's) really important to help other people… (not) just from your country,” she said.
The unicorn horns also serve as a mantra for Mioc’s life and philosophy: be yourself.
“Be a unicorn in a field of horses, you don't need to fit in to the fields,” she said. “Be whoever you want.”
The third grader’s passion for the tense world of politics came after winning Little Miss Calgary in 2016.
The win allowed her to meet some of the country’s most high-profile politicians, including Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“I think it's very important to know what's going on,” she said. “It's for your own good.”
Mioc’s mother, Lily Ahonen, said she doesn’t know where her daughter’s desire for a life in politics comes from.
"I hate to say I've never really followed politics myself, so this is probably the last thing in the world I expected,” she said.
With a report from CTV News’ Alberta Bureau Chief Janet Dirks
