One of the strongest Latinas vying for the 69th Miss Universe is Estefanía Soto Torres of Puerto Rico. Her academic credentials are nothing to sneer at. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Foreign Languages and a Masteral in Intercultural Mediation – with sociological, anthropological and gender perspective. All of her learnings were acquired in three different countries – France, Belgium and Mexico. She speaks English, French and Spanish, and can do conversational Dutch. On a lighter side, though, she is a collector of lip balms and National Geographic Magazines.

Now in these photos, she presents her National Costume for the competition: “For this National Costume in honor of Puerto Rican Walter Mercado’s life trajectory and unifying message of love and acceptance, 86,400 pieces of hand-set Austrian crystals were used.

The crown is made in golden jewelery and precious stones denote the 12 zodiacal signs and the stars in the sky. It is designed and composed of 78 separate pieces, one for each town of Puerto Rico, and includes 6 last quarter moons that embody the search for our sixth universal crown!”

#69thMissUniverse #estefaniasoto