| Dayana Sabrina Mendoza Moncada (born June 1, 1986 in Caracas, Venezuela) is a model and Miss Venezuela 2007 and the newly crowned Miss Universe 2008.
On 2001 Mendoza signed with Elite Model Management and modeled in Italy, France, United States, England, Greece, Spain, Germany, Mexico and Peru for Versace, Roberto Cavalli and other fashion designers. She speaks Spanish, English and Italian.
Dayana beat out 27 other candidates to win Miss Venezuela 2007 on September 13, 2007, and became only the second woman representing the Amazonas state to win (the first being Carolina Izsak in 1991)[citation needed]. She was crowned Miss Universe 2008 at the pageant in Nha Trang, Vietnam on July 13, 2008.
Trilingual (Spanish, Italian and English) contestant from Amazonas state Dayana Mendoza, 22, (178-centimetre (5 foot 10), with ideal measurements, 85-58-89) said she likes "design, photography, advertising and wave surfing." She replied to the query: "Men think that the fastest way to go to a point is to go straight. Women know that the faster way to go to a point is to go to the curves." Miss Universe 2007 Riyo Mori crowned her with a 120,000 U.S. dollars tiara. She beat out runner-up Miss Colombia Taliana Vargas and Miss Dominican Republic, Marianne Cruz Gonzalez. Her prize package included - cash, a year contract promoting Miss Universe, world travel, a rent-free, prestigious New York City flat, luxury apartment and a gift bag stuffed with free designer shoes, dresses and beauty products, a $ 100,000 stipend for a 2-year course at the New York Film Academy and free access to famous fashion houses and beauty parlors. Mendoza will spend her year-long reign traveling the world to lecture on humanitarian issues. She will travel around the world to lecture on humanitarian issues and promote education regarding HIV/AIDS.
Mendoza's Venezuela is a "pageant superpower" with 4 previous Miss Universe and 5 Miss World winners. It's Alicia Machado last won Miss Universe in 1996. The 57th winner since 1952 (pageant first held in Long Beach, California, in 1952) was watched by a live audience of 7,500 and nearly a billion television viewers worldwide.
She's also a survivor from kidnapping. |
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