Miss Colombia Paulina Vega, a relative pageant newcomer, has been crowned Miss Universe, beating out first runner-up Miss USA Nia Sanchez and contestants from more than 80 other countries at Sunday's pageant in Miami.
Vega, a 22-year-old student of business administration from Barranquilla, Colombia, said she would wear the crown with "pride and excitement" as she heard the news that fans in Colombia had taken to the streets to celebrate.
Although she was far from home, Vega said she still felt the support from local Latinos.
"It felt like home. I felt like I was in Colombia with my people. I felt that support in every moment of the pageant," she said, wearing a sparkling silver gown with vertical stripes at a press conference after the competition.
Vega's win keeps the title in the hands of another Latina — reigning Miss Universe Gabriela Isler is from Venezuela. Beauty pageants are big business in Latin America, where girls are groomed for the contests from a young age and where Vega said women find "a lot of pride" in representing their country.
Crowd favorite Miss Venezuela Migbelis Lynette Castellanos was cut after the top ten. She had tremendous support and pressure locally and back home. The Miami suburb of Doral, which was host to the women during their stay, is also known as "Doralzuela" for its many Venezuelan residents.
As Miss Universe, Vega will receive an undisclosed salary, a luxury apartment in New York, a wardrobe and oodles of beauty products, and a one-year scholarship from the New York Film Academy.
"It will be a dream come true to represent the woman of today," Vega said earlier in the week. "A woman that not only cares about being beautiful and being glamorous, but also cares about being a professional, intelligent, hard-working person."
