Meet the winner of Miss Universe Latina. “I won because I showed my scars”
Another beauty queen will head from Miami to the Miss Universe pageant in Thailand.
Dominican Yamilex Hernández, 29, won “Miss Universe Latina, El Reality” on Telemundo after two months of competition between the 29 contestants.
“I won, but not because I was perfect. I won because I was real. Because I showed my scars, my strength, my story,” said Hernández, who considers herself a representative of “women who have been underestimated, of those who have healed, fought, fallen, and gotten back up.”
The first winner of Miss Universe Latina, Hernández has a degree in communication and lives in New Jersey. She participated in Miss Dominican Republic twice, finishing as first runner-up in 2023.
Now she will walk the runway of the Miss Universe pageant in Thailand on Nov. 21 in representation of a broader group: Latinas in the United States. But she will surely be a favorite of Dominicans.
“This crown is not just mine. It belongs to every person who believed in me. It belongs to my country, the Dominican Republic, to my people who never stopped lifting me up with their love, and to every Latin voice that cried out for me from every corner of the world,” said Hernández on Instagram. Along with participating in Miss Universe, she also won a $100,000 prize on the Telemundo show.
Hernández immigrated to the United States at age 13 and, since has taken on the role of mother to her siblings. Her father has been her biggest cheerleaders as she pursued a crown. Throughout the competition, she won over the judges and the audience with her charisma, discipline, and commitment to her social cause, mental health education, Telemundo stated in the press release.
The finalists for Miss Universe Latina were from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.
Puerto Rico’s Genesis Davila was named first runner-up, and Dominican Gemmy Quelliz was named second runner-up. Cuban Laura Perez, who fell from a three-meter platform in the semifinals, finished third.
The jury was composed of Aracely Arámbula, David Salomón, and Fabián Ríos, who, along with the audience vote, selected the remaining contestants.
Hernández will compete in Thailand against other contestants from Miami, such as Lina Luaces, Miss Universe Cuba 2025, and Miss Universe Nicaragua, who will be crowned on Sept. 4 at the James L. Knight Center in downtown Miami.
