Sunny Leone was born in Sarnia, Ontario to parents who emigrated from India. Despite being raised Sikh, her parents enrolled her in a Catholic school, where she had her first kiss at 11, lost her virginity to a basketball player at 16 and found out she was bisexual at 14. When she was 15, her family received their green card and migrated to the United States. They first moved to Fort Gratiot, Michigan, then to Lake Forest, California before finally settling down in Orange County, CA She graduated from high school in 1999 and proceeded to enroll in college. While studying to be a pediatric nurse in OC, a classmate who was an exotic dancer introduced Leone to John Stevens, an agent who in turn introduced her to Jay Allen, a photographer for Penthouse. She posed for Penthouse, and was named Penthouse Pet of the Month for the March 2001 issue.