ICYMI, Sheynnis Palacios made history on Sunday morning (Philippine time), November 19 during the 72nd Miss Universe competition. She is the first representative from Nicaragua to win Miss Universe, and her crowning moment took place at El Salvador.
After taking her Final Walk onstage as Miss Universe 2022, R'Bonney Nola passed on the Force for Good crown to her new teary-eyed sister. Aww!
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From her stunning swimsuit segment performance to her breathtaking evening gown runway walk, Sheynnis was a well-deserved crowd favorite very early on. But it was her thought-provoking answers during both the Top 5 Q&A and Top 3 Q&A that sealed the deal.
Here are 10 things you need to know about Miss Universe 2023 Sheynnis Palacios:
1. Sheynnis Palacios is the first representative from Nicaragua to win Miss Universe.
Like we said earlier, in Miss Universe history there has never been a titleholder from Nicaragua—until now.
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2. Sheynnis previously competed in national and international beauty pageants.
Sheynnis made her pageantry debut nearly a decade ago when she won Miss Teen Nicaragua 2016. She placed in the Top 10 at the Miss Teen Universe 2017 competition held in Managua, the country's capital.
Sheynnis also won the Miss World Nicaragua crown in 2020, however the 2020 and 2021 pageants were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 70th edition of the Miss World pageant was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2022, where she became one of the Top 40 quarterfinalists.
On August 5, 2023, Sheynnis won the title of Miss Nicaragua 2023 and eventually flew to El Salvador to represent her country. And the rest is history.
3. Sheynnis is a college graduate.
Sheynnis has a degree in Mass Communications from the Universidad Centroamericana. It was founded in July 1960 and is the first private university in Central America.
According to her Miss Universe bio, she has a passion for producing and editing video content.
4. Sheynnis is also very sporty.
Sheynnis didn't spend all her time studying—she was also a varsity volleyball player for the Universidad Centroamericana!
5. Sheynnis is a mental health advocate.
As she shared in her Voice for Change video, Sheynnis started having intense anxiety attacks when she was 18 years old. She started the project "Understand Your Mind" (Entiende Tu Mente) to advocate for women who experience mental health issues.
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6. Sheynnis is a talented TV personality.
On February 6, 2023, Sheynnis announced that she would be a host for the Canal 11 Nicaragua morning show Al Dia. She utilizes her growing platform to engage with her audience and inspire people, particularly when it comes to mental health awareness.
7. Sheynnis is a fashion model.
Aside from competing in the world of beauty pageantry, since 2016 Sheynnis has also walked the runway at various fashion shows, including Nicaragua Fashion Week in 2017!
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8. Sheynnis is very close with her family.
If you scroll through Sheynnis' Instagram feed, chances are you'll spot at least one photo of her family every few seconds. They were all present to support her during her college graduation ceremony, and when they did a glamorous photoshoot for the Christmas holidays in 2020 the beauty queen captioned it "Before the year ends, I leave you one of the photos that represent my 2020 [red heart emoji] my little family."
9. Sheynnis loves dogs—a lot!
Sheynnis is definitely a paw parent, and has room for the many fur babies in her life: from celebrating World Dog Day in 2020 with Bruce, Brownie, Koda and Simba, to celebrating another dog (Maggie's) birthday with Bruce and Baloo!
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10. Sheynnis is a big fan of Disney!
In one of the earliest pictures on her Instagram feed, a young Sheynnis is pictured wearing the iconic princess gown from Snow White. In 2018, she also staged a photoshoot as Jasmine from Aladdin, and peeking out from the background of her 23rd birthday shoot in 2023 is a balloon of Stitch from Lilo and Stitch!
