Norma Flores Vohra: Lakandula Platinum Awardee
Norma Flores Vohra is a woman best described from a deeper sense of what she is as a person. Her endearing qualities are her generous and compassionate heart. Those qualities were part of her achievements in life and it marked the process of her journey as well as her challenges.
Her guiding philosophy was her adherence to the thought of simply believing in herself no matter what other people say. This motivated her to act on her goals and she tenaciously stayed in the paths of practical choices which led her to the right direction.
Graduating as a nurse from Far Easter University and Sta. Rita were challenges she faced with bravado despite the discouraging realities of financial limitations at that time. She managed to rise above it and made it to her goal. It was not surprising for her intention was to better her life and help her siblings and her beloved mother.
She migrated to Canada in 1966 and worked as a nurse at Winnipeg General Hospital. It was in the Filipino community in Manitoba that she served as director of the Kayumanggi Filipino Association and she also became a member of the Kagumanggi Dance Troupe. In 1968 she organized the first Miss Philippines- Manitoba to raise funds for the association.
Family life is the top of her list of priorities. She is married to Satish Kumar Vohra from New Delhi India, who she met in Winnipeg , an electrical engineer by profession. They have two children Sanjib and Reena both professionals in their respective fields.
In 1970 she moved to Montreal and worked as assistant head nurse at the Jewish General Hospital. While working as a nurse she took post graduate courses in McGill University. Norma has always been fascinated with the dynamics of beauty pageants. Her early exposure to this was back home among her sisters and nieces. She had a natural flare for she was endowed with the stature and fashionable taste for what is essential to be a contender in activities such as beauty pageants.
It was not common knowledge among the Filipino community in Montreal that she was one of the founding members of FCAWI and one of the organizers of Miss FCAWI. She also served as director of FAMAS and there she initiated the idea of organizing the Miss Philippines- Montreal as a fundraising activity. She helped out for the first few years in the process of the pageants. She became Mrs. Philippines- Montreal in 1997. In the same year her daughter Reena won the title Miss Philippines – Montreal and she eventually became the finalist in the Canadian Search for Miss Universe. She was the international director of the Bb. Pilipinas of the World in Toronto.
In 1998, she co-founded the first Miss Global Beauty Quest an international pageant in Montreal.
In 2000, she accompanied Miss Global Canada as part of the Miss Millennium beauty pageant in Helsinki, Finland. Her experienced as a international and local pageant organizer she was named as the regional director for the Canadian Search for Miss Universe by T-era Productions. She served as the official chaperone of Miss Canada in Puerto Rico during the 50th anniversary of the Miss Universe pageant. She is often invited to be a judge various beauty pageants in Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver and New Jersey.
Now in her retirement years she generously gives her time to community work like being a member of Philippine Foundation of Quebec where she participates in fundraising activities. She is still an active volunteer organizer and adviser with Miss Earth Canada and is always there as mentor and coach for aspiring candidates. In the year 2002 she was awarded one of the Most Outstanding Filipino Canadians in Toronto.
