Megan Punnett

It’s been quite a year for Megan Punnett. Two years ago, the Oakville native called the idea of entering beauty pageants “crazy.” Last spring, she was crowned Miss Canada Scholarship. Now, the 23-year-old has landed herself a modeling contract in Thailand. “I can’t believe I’m actually going to Thailand,” said Punnett, who leaves tomorrow for a 75-day modeling contract in Bangkok. “Three months away in a foreign country on the other side of the world is a little bit scary. I’m nervous, but I’m anxious and excited at the same time.” The Iroquois Ridge grad landed the gig after attending AMTC (Actors, Models & Talent Competition) in January. It’s the same organization that launched the careers of stars like Mena Suvari and Charlotte Dobbs. “It was a great experience,” said Punnett, who attracted the attention of several modeling agencies. “I got a lot of positive feedback.” Since she hands over her Miss Canada Scholarship title at the end of the month and because she graduated this summer from the University of Western Ontario with a degree in kinesiology, Punnett is now able to focus on her modeling. She started four summers ago with Toronto-based Sutherland Models. Last year, a friend suggested she enter a beauty pageant. “I said, ‘No way.’ I thought pageant girls weren’t very smart,” she said. “It was a complete misconception on my part. It turned out to be a lot of hard work.” Not only did she need to market herself to get sponsorships, she also had to develop a platform based on something she felt passionate about and wanted to pursue as Miss Canada Scholarship. Crowned Miss Oakville 2005, Punnett qualified for Miss Canada along with more than 50 other girls. “I would never have thought I’d be doing pageants, but it’s been such an amazing and rewarding opportunity,” she said. “I’ve met so many different people and I’ve been able to see so much of North America.” The Miss Canada Scholarship title comes with a $6,500 reward in scholarship assistance to assist the winner with Miss Canada initiatives. Punnett has been using the scholarship to further her platform, which is to encourage physical health and to improve health education for girls and women. “I’ve been talking to young girls about how important it is to take care of their bodies, and telling them the changes their bodies are going to go through, just to prepare them for that,” she said. “It’s something I think is so important.” The highlight of her time as Miss Canada was a mission trip to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. “That was a huge thing for me,” she said of the November 2005 trip, which she took along with Burlington-based Crossroads, a Christian organization. Punnett spent a week there giving food and supplies to those who had lost their homes. “When I was in New Orleans, my whole life kind of changed. The trip really made me re-evaluate my life and my values,” she said. “Just having the chance and seeing that you can make such a big difference in people’s lives. People were so grateful and so happy that we came to help all the way from Canada. It was an amazing experience.” Since then, Punnett has been leaning towards a career with an organization like World Vision to continue work of that nature. While she admits she’s “always had that ‘I’m going to be famous one day’ outlook,” she’s not sure if modeling is what she wants to do. “I’m going (to Thailand) to kind of figure out if this is something that I really want,” she said. “If it’s not, it’s still going to be an amazing experience. I guess I’ll see what happens after Thailand.” Megan Punnett is sponsored by Montfort Restaurant, Hopedale Mall, Big Star Jeans, Life Mark Health, Dr. Vinny Bhandari and 24-7 Webs Inc.