On November 16, 2024, the world will see beauty queens of all shapes, sizes and colour from across the world at the 73rd Miss Universe pageant holding at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico.
The current Miss Universe, Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua, will that day hand over the crown to a successor from among the contestants.
Some of the Miss Universe, who have emerged from their countries, and aiming to win the global crown, are:
Chelsea Manalo: She will represent the Philippines at the Miss Universe 2024 pageant. She is a Filipino model, the first Filipino of African descent to win the national beauty competition.
Manalo previously competed in Miss World Philippines 2017, where she reached the top 15. She is an advocate for the indigenous Dumagat people of Norzagaray, Bulacan, and has worked with a youth organization that aims to reach out and empower indigenous youth.
Chidimma Onwe Adetshina: She is Miss Universe Nigeria 2024, a Law graduate who was born in South Africa. She was on the verge of emerging as Miss South Africa before she withdraw from the race owing to xenophobic attacks.
María Fernanda Beltrán: She is Miss Universe Mexico 2024, a 24-year-old Marketing and Communication graduate. She is recognized for her social work, having initiated an anti-cyberbullying campaign three years ago. Her personal experience with online harassment following a beauty pageant win fueled her commitment to this cause.
Alma Cooper: She is Miss Universe United States of America (USA), a multifaceted individual who has made a name for herself in various fields. She is a data scientist, a second lieutenant in the Army, and a beauty pageant titleholder.
Alma is pursuing a master’s degree in Statistics at Stanford University, where she is a Knight-Hennessy scholar. She is passionate about using data science to elevate the voices of underrepresented minorities and has received awards for her research in mathematics.
Christina Chalk: She is Miss Universe Great Britain, a 30-year-old from Dunblane, Scotland with a degree in Pharmacology from the University of Glasgow
She is a multifaceted career in hospitality, technology, fashion, real estate, dance and founder of a global women’s collective that supports mental health.
Mia le Roux: She is Miss Universe South Africa, the first deaf woman to win the crown. She works as a marketing manager, models part-time and studying Marketing at the University of South Africa. She had earned a nutrition certificate from the Sport Science Institute of South Africa and an Exercise Specialist Diploma from Eta College.
Indira Ampiot: She is Miss Universe France 2024. Peviously crowned Miss Guadeloupe 2022, Miss Basse-Terre 2022 and Miss France 2023. She graduated with her baccalauréat with honors in 2022, and had planned to pursue post-secondary education studying communication in Paris, with the goal of specializing in visual advertising, communication, and design, prior to becoming Miss France.
She is the first Canadian and First Nations woman to win Mrs. Universe 2015.
