And there she was: Miss Universe 2008

Mirror, mirror on the wall
Who’s the prettiest of them all?

Miss Venezuela is the right answer. Miss Universe 2008 was crowned today July 13th among 79 other contestants gathered in the seaside city of Nha Trang, Vietnam, vying to succeed previous Miss Universe Riyo Mori of Japan.

Her name is Dayana Mendoza. The girl has a very interesting story behind her. She was once kidnapped in her home country and says the experience taught her to remain poised under pressure. The most beautiful girl in the world declined to discuss her kidnapping which occurred just a year and a half ago but just like all the pageant princesses do she took advantage of the occasion to call for a global peace.

I want to raise my voice and tell the world that violence is not the answer”.

Dayana Mendoza is 22, is a 5-foot, 10-inch (178-centimeter), green-eyed woman who loves learning languages and photography. Her career ambition is to become an Interior Designer.

The final five contestants included four from Latin America: Miss Mexico, Miss Dominican Republic, Miss Colombia and Miss Venezuela. Rounding out the final five was Miss Russia.

Miss Thailand won the prize for best national costume and Miss El Salvador, Rebeca Moreno, was chosen by her peers as Miss Congeniality.

This year’s contestants spanned a wide range of experiences and aspirations.

Miss Albania was a professional basketball player. Miss Argentina says she has paranormal experiences. Miss Antigua & Barbuda is fascinated by snakes. Miss Angola was in a plane crash while trying to escape a conflict during her country’s civil war.

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