Alice Panikian

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**Alice Panikian**

Born:	May 23, 1985 (age 21) Sofia, Bulgaria
Occupation:	model
Website:	http://www.alicepanikian.com

Alice Panikian (born May 23, 1985 in Sofia, Bulgaria) is a Canadian model who was crowned Miss Universe Canada on March 21, 2006.

At 6'0" (1.83 m)^[1] she is not only the tallest major national titleholder in Canadian history, but also had earned a significant amount of attention from the world press as one of the strongest candidates to succeed to then-reigning Miss Universe, Natalie Glebova, also from Canada. As no country has ever won the title back-to-back, Panikian had a significant historical hurdle to jump despite many pundits who argue that she was an even stronger candidate than her predecessor. Alice did not become Miss Universe 2006 (that honour went to Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico), but she did finish in 6th place.

Alice enjoys writing short stories, and her hobbies include volleyball and yoga. She considers her idol to be popular African-American talk show host Oprah Winfrey and wishes to have a positive impact on people's live just as Oprah has.

Panikian is of Bulgarian and Armenian ancestry, and came to Canada with her parents when she was five years old. Panikian is in her second year at York University majoring in English and Communications. She currently resides in Toronto, Ontario as she aspires to become a broadcast journalist or a TV show host.

Before becoming Miss Universe Canada, Alice represented Canada at the 2006 Reinado Internacional del Café or International Queen of Coffee pageant, held in Colombia on January 9, where she became the first ever winner.

She also took the "Miss Photogenic" and "Best in Swimsuit" awards at the Miss Universe Canada Pageant.^[2]