Miss Universe 2022: Meet the Latina contestants

Venezuela candidates for the competition tend to be top contenders. This time around Amanda Dudamel Newman will represent her beautiful country. The young woman was born in Mérida and is a 23-year-old model and fashion designer with a degree from the European Institute of Design in Rome. She even traveled to New Orleans for the Miss Universe celebrations wearing one of her creations. She also happens to be fluent in Spanish, English, and Italian.

Irma Cristina Miranda was born in Sorona, Mexico. At 26, the business administrator and model will represent her country in the most important beauty pageant in the world. She has participated in several contests; however, none are as illustrious as the one at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The Mexican contestant is a television presenter and used to being on camera.

Ever since the age of 18, Carla Romero, who is a business administrator, has been a part of multinational companies. The Charrúa representative is interested in the welfare of society. According to El Universo, she is involved in mental health work that helps people cope with anxiety and depression disorders. She was drawn to the work because of her own personal experience.

The native of San Pedro Sula in the Honduras is 20 years old and dedicated to professional modeling, which she combines with her professional studies. She is currently focused on her bachelor's degree studies in two majors, one in international business and the other in digital marketing, at Atlantis University in Miami. She is also bilingual and an ambassador for foundations that promote health and education in her native country.

Since childhood, Miss Puerto Rico Ashley Cariño has dreamt of working at NASA. To make that dream come true, she is studying aerospace engineering at the University of Central Florida, and her goal is to specialize in rocket propulsion. She was born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, and when she was 5 years old, she moved the United States.

Solaris Barba, born in Panama City, is 23 years old and a model, dancer, psychology student, and television presenter. She told the press that during the competition, she will stop calling herself Solaris and instead refer to herself as Panama.

She is dedicated to helping indigenous children with albinism in Guna Yala, an area located in the Panamanian Caribbean. She is also an ambassador for the Smile Train Latin America Foundation, an organization focused on providing solutions to cleft lip and palate.

Miss Chile Sofía Depassier has lived in the United States for some time, but even so, she was chosen to represent her country because she has Chilean nationality. She is 24 years old and an entertainer, model, and stylist.

According to Hola magazine, she and her family suffered from racism and discrimination for not mastering English when they moved to the United States, which is why over the years she felt drawn to help other immigrants. To do so, she created the Universo sin fronteras project, which provides guidance to children and young people when they move to a new country.

She speaks French, English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Mandarin. She is also a television presenter, journalist, and socioeconomics graduate. Oh, and Mia Mamede is also an actor. Born in Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil, she is the first woman from her state to win Miss Brazil.

At 24 years old, Camila Sanabria has a degree in business administration and a master's degree in marketing and business management. After an interview with Telemundo, she revealed that her nephew has autism, which led her to work on raising awareness about the issue.

"I want to be able to help raise awareness about this condition and also help these children in their socialization process. Living through this with my family touched my heart and I was able to understand the lack of support and help in this process," she told the television network.

The ability that Norma Huembes, Miss Nicaragua, has for learning languages is enviable. The Nicaraguan is learning her fourth language, Korean. She finds it easy to interact with people who speak Spanish, English, and Italian. Born in San Marcos, Department of Carazo, Nicaragua, the 24-year-old is a model and a public accountant. In 2020, she studied business administration in the United States.

At just 21 years old, Ivana Batchelor is a model originally from Quetzaltenango. She is a communications student who takes pride in her Guatemalan culture. She is passionate about going to public schools to speak about suicide prevention and depression. She is also a skilled translator in English and Spanish. She cofounded the IB Model Agency and Academy.

At just 25 years old, María Fernanda Rodríguez is a civil engineer who is fluent in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. She is also studying Costa Rican sign language. She was born in Ciudad Quesada, a rural town in Costa Rica, and loves mixed martial arts, ballet, and swimming.

Lia Ashmore was born in Villarrica. The 27-year-old studied marketing and graphic design. She suffered rejection and discrimination in her childhood and now dedicates time to helping others by leading talks on self-acceptance.

Bárbara Cabrera has her an eponymous line of clothing and is studying business administration. She was born in Buenos Aires and began her modeling career at the age of 18. She also collaborates with foundations that help women and children find a safe place to live.

Andreína Martínez has graced campaigns for brands such as Missoni, Nars Cosmetics, and Sephora. She has participated in catwalks during New York Fashion Week. At 25, the psychologist and model works at Women's Equality Center, an NGO focused on fighting for women's rights in Latin America and the Caribbean.

María Fernanda Aristizábal is a native of El Quindío, Bogotá. She is 25 years old and wants to use her platform to raise awareness about water scarcity through her #SOSWATER campaign. She also works with various nonprofit organizations.

Nayelhi González was born in Esmeraldas, Ecuador, and is currently 26 years old. Before entering the industry, she graduated as a nurse. Her social contributions include working with small children and encouraging self-esteem among Afro-descendant women.

"Here we go Ecuador. Fly high. Dream big! I'll take you with me ," were some of the words that the beauty queen published along with this set of photos posted on Instagram.

El Salvador's candidate, Alejandra Guajardo, is 27 years old and was born in Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Her mother is Mexican, but her father is Salvadoran, so she has dual citizenship. Her upbringing was divided between El Salvador, Mexico, and Texas, where she currently resides. Because of her dual citizenship and where she lives, she’s faced criticism.

"I feel very proud to carry Salvadoran blood in my veins. We Salvadorans are in all parts of the world and we never lose our roots, we will always be proud of our homeland," she told RPP Noticias.

Alessia Rovegno, 24, is multifaceted. She comes from a family of artists, and as a singer she fits right in. Alongside her mother, Bárbara Cayo, and sister, Arianna Celeste Rovegno, she produced her first ballad, Un amore como el nuestro. Her modeling career began at the age of 19, when she moved to New York. To date, she has graced haute couture catwalks and has been on the cover of Peruvian magazines such as Cosas and Asia Sur.