Miss Universe Nicaragua 2025 crowned in Miami
Miss Universe Nicaragua 2025 was crowned on Thursday in Miami. The new queen is Itza Castillo, a 30-year-old professional model born in Managua, who arrived in the United States four years ago and plans to deliver a message about the importance of education.
“My social project is based on education. I am the second generation in my family with higher education; my grandmother did not have any schooling,” said Castillo, who will represent Nicaragua at the Miss Universe competition in Thailand on Nov. 21.
The new queen was crowned by Miss Universe Nicaragua 2024, Geyssell García, after competing with 12 compatriots who represented the departments and autonomous regions of the country.
The first runner-up was Glennys Medina, representing the municipality of Rivas, who was also chosen as Miss Photogenic. The second runner-up was Nathalya Pedrozo from Jinotega, and in third was María Fernanda Sequeira representing Boaco.
Her “discipline and determination” are her greatest strengths to win the second crown for Nicaragua following Sheynnis Palacios’s triumph at the Miss Universe pageant in 2023, Castillo stated at a press conference after the gala.
Castillo described herself as a “real woman you can laugh, talk, and cry with.” At the same time, she said she is “brave,” having forged her path in the modeling world alone, and is now committed to highlighting the best qualities of Nicaraguans on the international stage.
“Nicaraguans know they are hospitable,” she said, emphasizing that through her, the world will learn more about her country’s culture, gastronomy and tourist attractions.
A pageant outside Nicaragua
The Miss Universe Nicaragua gala at the James L. Knight Center in downtown Miami was the first held outside Nicaragua since a local company, Emporium Agency, acquired the Miss Universe Nicaragua franchise in May of this year.
With folk dances and white and blue flags, the crowning of the new queen was a celebration for Nicaraguans residing in Miami.
For compatriots who could not be present and watched from afar, Castillo sent a message.
“Our culture will be highlighted, no matter where I am,” she said, urging them to “keep fighting for their dreams because these come true through hard work.”
Daniel Guevara, national director of the Miss Universe Nicaragua organization, said it was a “pleasure to celebrate this gala in the city of Miami, a place that brings together the Latin American diaspora completely.”
The judges that chose Miss Universe Nicaragua 2025 included Adriana Paniagua, Miss Nicaragua 2018; Sirey Morán, Miss Universe Honduras 2016, and Nuestra Belleza Latina 2021, also a former sports presenter on Univision; journalist Carlos Adyan, one of the presenters of En casa con Telemundo, who also hosted the Miss Universe Cuba 2025 where Lina Luaces Estefan was chosen.
Also on the panel of judges was Dominican designer Giannina Azar, Dr. Elio Galán, designer Gionni Straccia, Charlie Lapson, and Carlos Molina.
Also notable among the contestants were Aleida Josefa Pérez from Chinandega, chosen as Miss Elegance; Nahomy Hill from South Caribbean Coast, who was awarded Best Body; Massiel Cordoba from Masaya was Miss Popularity; and Yarimeth Gutiérrez from Nueva Segovia won Miss Congeniality.
The evening’s hosts were Zuleyka Rivera, the Puerto Rican beauty who won Miss Universe 2006, and Nicaraguan journalist Iván Taylor, who has worked on Telemundo, Univision, and CBS.
Argentinian singer-songwriter Noel Schajris from the duo Sin Bandera and Nicaraguan singer-songwriter Hernaldo Zúñiga took care of the night's music.
A message from Miss Universe Nicaragua
Castillo revealed her plans to help less fortunate Nicaraguans in Miami and shared a message for young women without resources who would like to participate in the competition.
“I grew up with hardships, yet my mother taught me to overcome adversity. I would tell them never to give up, as there will always be a light,” she said, moved to tears, recalling how much she missed her family during the preparation for Miss Universe Nicaragua.
“My mom once told me I was born with a star, and today that star shines,” she said. She expressed gratitude to the team that will prepare her to follow in the footsteps of Sheynnis Palacios, the first Nicaraguan to win the Miss Universe title in 2023.
“Sheynnis and I have been friends for 13 years; we grew up in Nicaragua, taking the bus together,” she said.
