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 Ramona Amiri
Ms Ramona Amiri won the Miss World Canada title in 2005. She is half-Assyrian from her father’s side of the family. Her personal motto is: ‘Work like you don’t need money, love like you’ve never been hurt, and dance like no one’s watching’. On her unusual talents, she says: ‘Thanks to my belly dance training, I am able to flip a coin over on my stomach.’
Her appetite for cultural learning drives Ramona to explore the world and she plans to discover it first-hand through extensive travel. She is proud of her Assyrian heritage: ‘I would love to visit a place in Iran called Urmia. My father’s roots are in this magical area and many say this region is the original Garden of Eden. Ancient culture and history have always fascinated me, so I would like to find out if I can see a little bit of Eden in Urmia.’
Born in Montreal on April 16th, 1980, Ramona Rina Amiri grew up in a truly multi-cultural environment, with her mother Persian and her father Assyrian. Ramona learned to speak French, English, Farsi and Assyrian. She attended College Charlemagne, a French private high school in suburban Montreal, where she graduated at the age of 17. That same year she moved to Vancouver with her family and began studies at the University of British Columbia in sciences. Ramona graduated four years later with her Bachelor of Science degree in general biology.
 During her studies Ramona did a great deal of volunteer work with the elderly at Vancouver General Hospital. She aspires to follow in her mother's footsteps to become a successful physician. In preparation for her career, Ramona began working full-time in her mother's practice gaining first hand experience in patient care. In addition to her academic and medical pursuits, Ramona would also like to further her modeling career. She has done quite a bit of local modeling, including charity galas, as well as modeling for Bebe, Wolford and the Leo Awards.
As Miss World Canada 2005, Ramona began single handedly fundraising for the Canadian Cancer Society, and she plans to continue giving good meaning to the Miss World mantra Beauty with a Purpose. In her spare time, Ramona pursues her passion for Middle Eastern dance. In the past four years she has attended the workshops of some of the world's top belly dancers. Dancing, she says, keeps her spiritually and physically fit. Finally, family is very important to Ramona: ‘My sister and parents are the foundation by which I stand; they keep me grounded and I hold them very close to my heart, and they will continue to be an active component of my life forever.’
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Diaspora 
