Natalie Glebova

Natalie Glebova, (born November 11, 1981 in Tuapse, Russia) won the 2005 Miss Universe pageant in Bangkok, Thailand on May 31 (Bangkok time). She works as a model and received her Bachelor of Commerce in Information Technology Management and Marketing at Ryerson University. She also has worked as a motivational speaker for grade school and high school students.

Related Topics:
November 11 - 1981 - Tuapse - Russia - 2005 - Miss Universe - Bangkok - Thailand - May 31 - Ryerson University

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Glebova is also a classical pianist and has won various regional gymnastic championships. According to an interview, she was born in a small town by the Black Sea in Russia called Tuapse. "It was there that I lived for some of my childhood with my parents (I’m an only child). My family moved to Toronto when I was 12 years old, and I fell in love with the city from the minute I arrived!"

Related Topics:
Black Sea - Russia - Tuapse - Toronto

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In her own words, Glebova also confessed that she was teased by her classmates while in school, due in part to her Russian accent. Thus, she hopes that her own immigrant story will help the other immigrants towards assimilation all around the world. Yahoo! News

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At first it was difficult, just because I went to grade eight at the time, and as you can imagine, kids and teenagers can be cruel sometimes...I was one of the only kids in school with an accent and a different last name, so it was difficult for the first few years until I really perfected my language and started believing in myself more.

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In 2004, Glebova attempted to win the Miss Universe Canada pageant where she placed 2nd Runner-Up. The eventual winner, Venessa Fisher, failed to place in the Miss Universe 2004 finals.

Related Topics:
Miss Universe Canada - Venessa Fisher - Miss Universe 2004

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In January 2005, she finally won on her second attempt at the national title.

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Glebova is the second Canadian to win the Miss Universe competition. The first was Karen Baldwin in 1982.

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