Get to know Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua, the new Miss Universe 2023
Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua is the new Miss Universe 2023.
The Nicaraguan model and beauty queen conquered the universe as she was crowned in the 72nd edition of Miss Universe held at the José Adolfo Pineda Arena in San Salvador, El Salvador on Nov. 19, Sunday.
After besting 83 other candidates, Sheynnis made history as the first-ever Miss Universe winner from Nicaragua since debuting in 1955.
Pageantry is her life
Sheynnis proved herself to be a force to reckon with, emerging as an early favorite in this year's edition. Before the crown, she has participated in several pageants. At 17, she already started representing her country when she vied for Miss Teen Universe in 2016 and ended up in the Top 10.
The beauty queen pursued her dream at the Miss World stage in 2020 and competed against 96 other candidates in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In the end, she was selected as one of the 40 semifinalists.
Her journey to the Latina-based pageant Reina International Del Cafe in 2022 was halted after contracting COVID-19 and she had to withdraw from the competition supposedly in Colombia together with several other contestants.
While her fate did not align with the world, Sheynnis redirected her path once more when she conquered the coveted Miss Universe crown for her country after 68 years.
Multilingual queen
Sheynnis is a trilingual beauty who speaks three languages including Spanish, Portuguese, and English. Currently, she is a television host on a local channel in her hometown.
Outside of her pageant career, Sheynnis is a proud Mass Communication graduate who has a genuine passion for social justice causes. This adrenaline junkie loves spending her time at the beach, playing volleyball, and exploring the wonders of nature.
Aside from her tantalizing look, this beauty pageant veteran also speaks with a purpose. Sheynnis discussed in her Voice for Change video which is her official entry to the competition about the undying problem of mental health and how to address it. She is also a proud advocate for animal protection and sustainability.
Beauty and brains
During the Top 5 question and answer, Sheynnis explained that humility and appreciation of the little things are the qualities and values that guide her as a leader and role model for others.
While her strong charisma and poise can make you give it a second look, her answer left the judges in during the Miss Universe competition where she answered the final question, “If you could live one year in another woman's shoes, who would you choose and why?”
"I will choose Mary Wollstonecraft because she opened the gap and they gave an opportunity to many women. What I would do, I would want that gap, that income gap, would open up so that women could work in any area that they chose to work in because there's no limitation for women. That was 1750. Now in 2023, we're making history," she said in Spanish.
At the end of the night, Sheynnis was hailed as the eventual winner succeeding the reigning queen from the USA, Rbonney Gabriel who is a proud Filipino-American by roots.