Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2022 is Miss Fajardo, Ashley Ann Cariño


Miss Fajardo, Ashley Ann Cariño, was crowned Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2022 in a glittering competition that took place on Thursday, August 11 at the Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré, also known as Bellas Artes de Santurce in San Juan.

The 27-year-old beauty succeeds last year's winner Michelle Colón of Loíza and will represent Puerto Rico at the 71st Miss Universe pageant (Miss Universe 2022) later this year.

Leonela González De Jesús of Dorado and Camille Fabery Diana of Cataño were named the first and second runners-up, respectively. The representatives of Aguadilla,  Graciela Berrios and Toa Alta, Valeria Pagán Masini, completed the Top 5 finalists.

This year's national competition was the 66th edition of Miss Universe Puerto Rico. The event was hosted by former titleholder Estefanía Soto and Puerto Rican journalist Julio Rivera-Saniel while international stars Gloria Trevi, Jencarlos Canela, and Víctor Manuelle were the special guest performers.

The new Miss Universe Puerto Rico is an aerospace engineering student at the University of Central Florida. Her passion for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) led her to develop a mentoring program to introduce girls in elementary, intermediate, and higher grades to these branches of knowledge through educational opportunities of STEM immersion.

Aside from her educational background in engineering, Ashley is also a licensed psychosocial therapist and is currently employed part-time at Insight Behavioral Health Specialists where she works mostly with the child population. As a short-term professional goal, she aspires to be able to work as a specialist in the commercial space travel industry and she dreams of being the first Miss Universe Puerto Rico to set foot on the moon.

Puerto Rico has won the Miss Universe pageant five times with Marisol Malaret (1970), Deborah Carthy (1985), Dayanara Torres (1993), Denise Quiñones (2001), and Zuleyka Rivera (2006).


Photos: Brandon Cruz González / Wapa.tv, Miss Universe Puerto Rico

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