Rankin Inlet (Sep 22/04) - Concentrating on her studies may be a little tough for Ashley Paniyuk-Dean now that she is back at Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit.

The Rankin Inlet beauty spent Sept. 5-10 in Toronto, vying for the Miss World Canada crown against 26 fierce competitors.

Rankin's own Ashley Paniyuk-Dean won some hearts while she was competing for the Miss World Canada crown in Toronto. She came in eighth place and won the Miss Heart and Soul award from her fellow participants. - photo courtesy of Miss World Canada

She may not have returned with victory, but the award she did receive is more valuable to her than any crown.

Paniyuk-Dean finished awesome eighth in the competition, but won the Miss Heart and Soul event during the lead-up to the final event.

"That was the competition that I felt I wanted to win more than the others," she said from Iqaluit.

"It seemed like a special kind of award," said Paniyuk-Dean.

During a visit to a resort in Muskoka, Ont., the contestants sat around a bonfire sharing a bit of themselves for two minutes.

She talked of her respect for her Inuit leaders and all they have done for Nunavummiut, trying to teach the other girls about the far-off territory.

"There is a lot that the rest of Canada doesn't know," she said.

Many girls cried after Paniyuk-Dean's speech. The subsequent voting declared her Miss Heart and Soul, one of four special awards, including Miss Beach Beauty, Miss Fitness and a style award.

Touring Toronto

Paniyuk-Dean embraced the week-long contest, which had the contestants stay in downtown Toronto for most of their visit.

"It was a pretty exciting week. I gave my best in this competition and I got a lot out of it," she said.

Judges followed the girls everywhere and people stopped them on the streets to ask about the sashes each girl was wearing, she said.

The first Miss Nunavut to compete at the pageant, Paniyuk-Dean found herself a bit of a novelty item.

"Toronto people don't get to see people from Nunavut very much," she said.

A giant cheer went up from the crowd for Thursday night's finale as she strode down the stage and announced that she was Miss Nunavut, from Canada's newest territory.

"The cheer from the crowd was amazing," said Paniyuk-Dean.

Her visit may prove to be a boon for Nunavut as well, as she handed out mini-discs with pictures of each community, flags and prints of the Inuit way of life.

"To have all these visuals really helped me to explain to the girls," she said.

"I had a lot of support from my community and everyone in Nunavut."

Paniyuk-Dean's ties to the Miss World Canada organization didn't end with the declaration of Tijana Arnautovic of Ottawa as the winner.

She'll be back next year as the regional director for Nunavut, helping the next Miss Nunavut in 2005.

"I'm hoping whoever the next Miss Nunavut competitor is, she'll be able to accomplish more than I have," said Paniyuk-Dean.