After months of planning, interviews and rehearsals, Stony Brook University’s Latin American Student Organization (LASO) held its annual Belleza Universal Pageant on Thursday, April 10 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the Student Activities Center themed around singer Kali Uchis’ album “Red Moon In Venus.”
Emily Amaya, one of LASO’s public relations officers and a junior double majoring in psychology and business management, shared that the event is meant to embrace culture while helping contestants feel confident in their femininity.
“Essentially, we want to make sure to highlight the girls [and who they are]. At the end of the day, it’s their event — it’s their night,” Amaya said. “It’s all about female empowerment and loving yourself, loving your culture [and] representing that.”
Carla Sobrado, an event coordinator for LASO and a senior double majoring in mass communication and English education, said the candidate selection process began months in advance and is done so between their president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and all event coordinators.
She explained the difficulties in planning when dealing with many moving parts, especially while managing props and wardrobe, which often involves sizing issues and retailer delays.
“I think [that] makes it a challenge, but a rewarding one nonetheless, because you see every girl execute their vision exactly how they want,” Sobrado said.
The pageant opened with a group dance consisting of the 10 candidates, each proudly representing a different country. Afterward, the host for the evening, Michelladonna, a comedian and the host of the “Shop Cats” Show, announced the countries represented and encouraged the audience to show their support.
The contestants were Miss Nigeria, Colombia, Honduras, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, India, Bangladesh, Italy and Mexico. As Michelladonna announced each country, attendees waved flags and posters to cheer for their candidate.
She then introduced the three judges who would evaluate the contestants. The judges included Sheilly Martinez Jimenez, the former LASO president and a Stony Brook alumna from the class of 2024, Dr. Neisha Terry Young, an assistant professor in the Department of English and Stephen Rabeno, a clinical associate professor in the School of Social Welfare.
Michelladonna then announced the first segment: streetwear. Contestants strutted on stage in pairs, showcasing outfits designed by Tianna Osbourne, a fashion designer based in New York City, N.Y. Their outfits consisted mainly of denim with jeans and skirts and some with patchwork designs.
The event transitioned to the “Glitz n’ Glam” category, where Michelladonna introduced each contestant by name and country as they walked the stage in elegant dresses and heels, with their photo and country displayed on a large screen.
Michelladonna then introduced the LASO e-board, each dressed in shades of blue, followed by a tribute to graduating seniors from the juniors and underclassmen.
E-board members who formed close bonds with the seniors took a moment to make speeches, expressing gratitude and fond memories. Following each message, the seniors were each handed a bouquet of flowers, some moved to tears by the appreciation shown to them.
Amaya dedicated her speech to Heather Guzman, LASO’s secretary and a senior double majoring in psychology and Spanish.
“You guys don’t know how much love she’s put into this club,” Amaya said. “She’s the definition of brains and beauties, and she’s one of the most welcoming people you’ll ever meet with the kindest soul.”
After the senior tributes, Michelladonna moved onto segment two: the cultural showcase, where each contestant performed a traditional dance in cultural attire and explained the meaning behind their outfit and performance.
Laura Cardona — Miss Colombia and a sophomore majoring in health science — performed two traditional Colombian dances, each with a unique outfit. She began with cumbia, wearing a white top and a long skirt with yellow, blue and red frills, representing the colors of the Colombian flag.
Cardona explained the symbolism behind each color: yellow for prosperity, blue for freedom and red for passion. She then quickly removed her first outfit to showcase a second one underneath, continuing her performance with the mapalé dance.
“[Cumbia] is a dance of grace and flirtation, as beautiful women wear it to move to the beat of the drums and maracas, capturing their dance partner’s attention,” Cardona explained after her performance. “This attire is still worn today in festivals and performances in celebration of my beautiful culture.”
She then shared the significance behind her second dance, where she wore a bright colored two-piece set.
“One of our most vibrant and expressive [dances] of our African and Caribbean roots is the mapalé dance, which is a dance originating from the Colombian to Caribbean coast,” she continued. “It originated from Afro-Colombians that were inspired by the movement of fish as they were being captured by fishermen. Just like the movement of the fish, mapalé dancers move quickly full of energy and rhythm.”
The event moved into segment three: swimwear. Each candidate sashayed down the stage dressed in colorful bathing suits while carrying their respective flags. Once they reached the end of the stage, the candidates struck poses with their flags as props while music played in the background.
The fourth segment of the pageant was talent, which showcased a diverse range of performances, including dance, poetry, violin playing and singing.
Kat Reyes, Miss Honduras and a sophomore majoring in biology, sang “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, to express her love for rock music. Reyes’ goal was to raise awareness of the suffering of young girls in Honduras and to support Our Little Roses — an organization raising money for orphan girls.
“I think it’s important to talk about each aspect of your culture in order to fully represent it and fully love it,” Reyes said. “I hope people look up [Our Little Roses], enjoy the show and take away something from each culture.”
Following talent, the final category was formal, in which candidates were escorted to the stage by their pageant parents and asked individual questions from the judges.
Young asked Sophia Seda, Miss Puerto Rico and a senior majoring in secondary English education, why she believed that she deserved to be Miss Belleza Universal.
“I believe I deserve to win the title of Miss Belleza because my multicultural identity has truly shaped the way I view and express my identity today,” Seda said. “I want to spread the message that culture should be shared. It was not created selfishly; it should be admired and taught by anyone who appreciates it.”
Once the judges finished their questions, they convened and selected Miss Colombia as the first-place winner, awarding her a prize of $500 and a crown. Miss Puerto Rico and Haiti tied for second place, and the judges did not select a third place winner.
Kangkhita Kaes, last year’s Miss Bangladesh and a senior majoring in health science, showed her support by attending the pageant and enjoyed the performances.
“The diversity of cultures being represented [grew],” Kaes said. “When I was Miss Bangladesh [last year], I was the first South Asian and now there’s Bangladesh and India [participating in this year’s event] … It’s nice to see countries outside of Latin [ones] being represented.”
Destiny Corona, the president of LASO and senior marine vertebrate biology major, shared the event’s goal and her favorite part of the preparation.
“We strongly encourage everybody to come and it helps them connect to their culture,” Corona said. “Seeing the girls’ confidence, how they are from the beginning to now and seeing how comfortable they get with each other [is my favorite part].”
Correction Statement: The previous version of this article said Kaes was last year’s Miss Belleza Universal. This has since been corrected to Miss Bangladesh.
