Cuban beauty queen from Florida almost wins the crown at Miss Intercontinental
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Another Cuban beauty queen stood out in an international beauty pageant. Lorena Suárez, Miss Intercontinental Cuba 2025, finished as first runner-up at Miss Intercontinental 2025, held on Jan. 29 in Sahl Hasheesh, a resort near Hurghada, Egypt, on the Red Sea coast.
The Miss Intercontinental 2025 pageant, which seeks the most beautiful woman from all continents, was supposed to take place last year but was postponed to January 2026 for logistical reasons. The winner was Russian Varvara Yakovenko. After Suárez, the runners-up were Vanessa Wenk of Thailand and Faidha Kassim of Tanzania.
A Cuban crowned continental queen
Suárez, 23, a Communications student at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, also won the Miss North America title at Miss Intercontinental.
“Amid the jubilation, the lights, and the sparkle, it was a night where the most beautiful things weren’t seen, they were felt. My desire to make history, to represent Cuba with pride. I wouldn’t change a thing. Today I’m proud to see my participation and the result of rigorous preparation,” Suárez told her followers.
Since 2014, a Cuban hadn’t placed this high at Miss Intercontinental, when Jeslie Mergal was first runner-up, Miss North America and “best in swimsuit.”
A dream fulfilled from Cuba
Born in Havana, Suárez emigrated to the United States with her family at age 8 and currently lives in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
She had to overcome the bullying she experienced as a teenager—when she was called “anorexic” for being thin—to fulfill a dream her parents often tell, she told el Nuevo Herald.
From a very young age she wanted to follow in her aunt’s footsteps; her aunt was a model at the Cuban fashion house La Maison, where Suárez would climb the runway and imitate the models’ walks.
Sergio Meso, director of Reinado Nacional de Belleza Cuba (RNBCuba), based in Miami, saw the “spark” that distinguishes Suárez and started preparing her for international pageants.
Suárez would travel to Miami every Friday from Port St. Lucie to receive runway-walking lessons. She found support in her father, who built a wooden staircase so she could practice going up and down in high heels—a skill that can make or break a contestant.
“I’ve seen an immense change in myself,” Suárez said. “I am someone who, when I step on stage, you have to look at me.”
Confidence and practice paid off because in 2025 Suárez was first runner-up in the Top Model of the World contest, held in June in Egypt.
“I felt secure and confident that I could raise Cuba’s profile, and I’ve done it twice in less than a year,” Suárez said.
With this experience, it’s fair to ask whether she will try for Miss Universe Cuba, the pageant run by Prince Julio César, which is about to open its annual call in Miami.
Suárez says she prefers to take a “physical and mental break” from pageants and focus on modeling invitations. In two weeks she will participate in New York Fashion Week, on Feb. 20 she heads to London, and in March she will be in China.
“I would like to learn more about beauty pageants and what they demand,” Suárez said, regarding her goal to continue training with RNBCuba to go to Miss International in 2027.
“Right now we’re looking for participants for Miss International, the third longest-running pageant and the second most important that Cuba participates in after Miss Universe,” Meso said.
This story was originally published February 6, 2026 at 5:49 PM.
