Iris Yu

Height: 5’7
Hometown: Vancouver, BC
Languages: English, Mandarin
Occupation: Youth Support Worker

“Nothing is impossible” – this is the life creed of twenty-year-ago Iris Yu.

Growing up, Iris overcame many challenges that were believed “impossible”: survived from congenital heart disease, adapted to a completely different society, stood up against bullies, started a business, worked two jobs while being a full-time student, became financially independent since adulthood, competed in pageants, etc. The core of her success in overcoming challenges is to develop a resilient mindset. With the belief that effort makes a difference, she persistently works toward her goal until achieved. Iris would like to empower youth and women in similar situations to dream impossible dreams, turn thoughts into actions, and build their brightest future with their hands.

Iris volunteers as a crisis service responder to provide emotional support and intervention strategies to people with suicidal thoughts. As a victim of bullying, Iris experienced mental health concerns at a young age but luckily recovered with the support of professionals. She advocates the importance of self-help because having the awareness to seek help is the most critical and beneficial step to prevent traumatic events at an early stage. She conducts free virtual workshops to share coping strategies, stress management skills, and support resources with her community.

Iris is pursuing a double major degree in psychology and speech science at the University of British Columbia. She is an experienced youth educator who helps children with challenging behaviors adapt to the school and community. She hopes to apply her study to children with special needs to help them build a bright future.

What are your interests and what do you enjoy doing the most?

My lifelong passion is performing. Whether singing, dancing, or acting, being able to perform on stage and present myself is the most enjoyable hobby to me. I am interested in raising awareness for women’s mental well-being. Due to genetic factors and societal pressure/expectations that have been put on women, women are three times more vulnerable in developing common mental health problems compared to men. We need to pay more attention to young girls during puberty, new moms during pregnancy and postpartum, and women during menopause. Those are the critical periods in women’s lives that are making them even more vulnerable in developing mental health problems and committing suicide or self-harm.

List any special training you have had (music, art, drama, dance, etc.)

Flute, Jazz Dance, Musical Theatre, Stage Combat

In what sports, if any, have you participated?

Curling, Cross-Country Running, Badminton

Name one person, other than your parents, who has had the most influence on your life. Why?

The person who has had the most influence on my life is my high-school drama teacher. She is an incredible life mentor who inspired me to chase what I believe in and shaped me into the confident, persistent, and resilient woman I am today. Through four years of drama classes and three school shows, she helped me to break out of my shell, recognize my strengths, improve my weaknesses, discover my inner beauty, and so much more. I am forever grateful for everything she has taught me because without this experience, I would not be who I am today.

What is your proudest personal accomplishment (other than participating in this pageant)?

My proudest personal accomplishment is making to the finalist of Miss Chinese Vancouver 2022. It was my first pageant and a remarkable life experience. I had the chance to learn about runaway, posing, public speaking, emceeing, and many more. Although I did not bring home the crown, I am super grateful for this opportunity. It taught me that failure is precious because what you learned through this failure will contribute to your next success.

What is the most interesting or unique thing that has ever happened to you and/or what is the most interesting thing about you?

The most interesting thing happened to me was that I created an online game in high school. It was a type of story-based online game that was very popular among my friends. I used to criticize the storylines as not interesting enough so I tried to write one myself. It was not published unfortunately but my friends were able to play and enough it.

What is your career ambition and what are you doing or plan to do to accomplish that goal?

My ultimate career goal is to open a mental health center that offers clinical counselling, art therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, applied behavior analysis therapy, and other mental health treatments to help children and adults go through challenging periods in their life. I am currently pursuing a BA degree in psychology and planning to pursue a MEd in clinical counselling to be qualified as a clinical counsellor. I am working part-time as an administrative staff in a private clinic to gain experience about running a business in the healthcare field. I am also volunteering at a crisis helpline to gain practical experience in counselling.

What would be your “dream job” in life?

To me, dream job is making a positive impact in others’ life. As a pageant contestant, I hope to inspire girls like me to not letting others’ opinions stop you from chasing what you want. As a future clinical counsellor, I hope to help my clients successfully overcome the challenges in their life. Whether that’s managing stress, gaining confidence, intervening crisis, or treating disorders, anything that I could help them to improve on will make an impact in their life, small or big. If I could help someone making their life better, that would be the biggest accomplishment to me and that would be my “dream job”.

Describe where you were raised and what your childhood was like.

I was born and raised in China and immigrated to Canada with my family at the age of 9. As a single child, I was taught to take on family responsibilities and take care of my family at a young age. I learned to do chores since elementary school and started to take care of the household since high school. With this experience, I became more independent and mature compared to others in my age, which helped me to become more competitive in workplace.

List any interesting or unusual jobs you may have had.

• Party Host – decorating and hosting celebration parties
• Stage Manager – operating the backstage during theatre performances

List any volunteering you have done.

• S.U.C.C.E.S.S Chinese Help Line – phone respondent volunteer for crisis intervention
• ME to WE – Fundraising volunteer

What is your most unusual talent?

Fall in sleep within one minute under any circumstances

Where is the most interesting place you have been to?

I have been to an amusement park in Harbin, China, where everything (buildings, furnitures, the floor, etc.) is made by ice sculptures.

What do you hope to be doing in ten years?

I hope to become a registered clinical counsellor and a spokesperson for promoting women’s mental well-being. I hope to operate a non-profit organization that provides free counselling, crisis intervention, guidance, and mental health education to those in need.