Vernon local to represent Canada on international pageant stage

Vernon local to represent Canada on international pageant stage

Published 10:00 am Tuesday, July 14, 2026

A Vernon woman will wear Canada’s crown.

Entrepreneur Samantha Sewell has officially been named Miss Canada World International 2027 and will represent the country at the Miss World International pageant in Miami next summer.

Spanning over nearly two decades the Miss World International organization functions as a five-day televised reality T.V. event and pageant hybrid that tests delegates on team building, media appeal, modelling and philanthropic platform development.

“For Sewell, the global stage serves as the ultimate triumph over adversity. Diagnosed with Apraxia of Speech as a child and told she would never be able to communicate normally, she also survived severe high school bullying by both her peers and a teacher,” said a media release. “Today, she has transformed those challenges into advocacy as a public speaker and the founder of Vernon’s Raising Stars Preschool established in 2022, which provides high-quality, inclusive early learning for local children.”

Throughout the next year Sewell will travel across the Okanagan, Canada and internationally to educate communities on anti-bullying, promote inclusion and empower others to pursue their dreams.