During a ceremony held at Casa Picasso Restaurant in San Pedro Town on Saturday, June 1st, San Pedro’s very own Gabriela Varela was crowned as 2019 Miss Hispanoamericana Belize and Selena Urias as 2019 Miss International Belize. Present at the coronation was Mayor Daniel Guerrero, Miss World Belize 2018 Jalyssa Arthurs, Miss San Pedro 2018 Chelsea Munoz and Miss America Latina Belize 2019 Iris Salguero.
At 9PM, Mistress of Ceremony Vivian Noralez welcomed everyone to the event and thanked them for their attendance. She then invited 2018 Miss Hispanoamericana Belize Selena Urias to share a few words on her journey before handing over the crown to the new queen. “It was an honor to represent Belize on an international stage and I’m super proud of the work I did. I would like to thank everyone who supported me throughout this journey. I also encourage everyone to give the same support to the next queen,” said Urias. 26-year-old Gabriela Varela was then crowned 2019 Miss Hispanoamericana Belize. Varela is a Proud San Pedrana, born and raised on la Isla Bonita, who graduated from San Pedro Junior College with an Associate’s Degree in Business Management.
According to Varela, representing Belize in Reina Hispanoamerica pageant is a personal goal. She hopes to enrich her self-esteem and serve as an example to many young people that there are no limits in achieving anything they set their minds to. She loves new challenges that will bring her an experience which she will remember and learn from for the rest of her life. Varela also loves traveling, learning about new cultures, and the gastronomy of those countries. She feels privileged to represent her country, her people and culture in an international platform.
Varela is set to travel to Santa Cruz Bolivia on Sunday, October 27th where she will be joined by contestants of 30 Latin American countries to compete for the title of Reina Hispanoamericana 2019 on Saturday, November 9th.
National Director for Miss Hispanoamericana Belize and Miss International Belize, Enrique de Leon then stepped on the stage to share a few words. “My biggest job here is assists these young ladies in representing our country to the best of their abilities. The organization that we are leading now is focusing in creating a platform for these young ladies to become role models in our society to empower girls across Belize. I always advise my girls to dream big with an open heart, and smile big,” said De Leon.
Noralez then invited Urias to the stage. This 23-year-old beauty was crowned 2019 Miss International Belize. Urias was born and raised in Belize City and graduated from Saint John’s Junior College with an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration. She is no stranger to pageantry, as she has participated in several beauty pageants in Belize and has represented the country internationally in several occasions. In 2018, Urias participated in Miss Belize Universe where she placed fourth runner up. Later that year, she went to represent Belize in Bolivia at Reina Hispanoamericana 2018. Thereafter, she traveled to La Ceiba, Honduras to represent Belize at Reina Del Tropico Pageant.
Urias advocates for equality and the end of domestic violence against women. She believes that her title will help her advocate for literacy and promote reading at an early age for children. She is currently preparing to tour schools around the country to empower young women. 2019 Miss International Belize Selena Urias is set to travel to Tokyo Japan on Friday, October 25th where she will be joined by 80 contestants from other countries to compete for the title of 2019 Miss International on Tuesday, November 12th.
The Miss Hispanoamericana Belize and Miss International Belize organization is proud to give these young ladies the opportunity represent Belize abroad. Their goal is to make dreams come true and create a role model platform to inspire and empower young women in Belize. Any assistance towards these young ladies is appreciated and if you would like to contribute towards their journey, you can do so by contacting National Director Enrique de Leon at 629-3078. The San Pedro Sun congratulates the newly crowned queens and wish them the best of luck in their journey.
