Hialeah beauty queen wins Miss Teen Global 2026 representing Cuba
Isabella Toledo, a Cuban American from Hialeah, scored another win for Cuban women at an international beauty pageant.
Toledo won Miss Teen Global 2026 on May 10 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, representing Cuba. The pageant, for 14- to 20-year-old participants, held its fourth edition in early May with contestants from 21 countries.
“I got emotional every time they said the name Cuba,” said Toledo, 19, who graduated with a Business Administration degree from Miami Dade College.
Back to back Cuban winners
Toledo was crowned by the previous year’s winner, Naisha Nardo, a young woman of Cuban descent also born in Miami.
Both Toledo and Nardo competed in Miss Teen Global representing Cuba, although they live in Miami. Both prepared for the pageant with South Florida-based Miss Teen Cuba, Inc.
Dominican designer and makeup artist Anthony Gómez, president of Miss Teen Cuba, Inc., said that it is a major achievement for Cuban women to have won the world’s most important teen beauty contest two years in a row.
“Isabella stands out for her responsibility and focus,” Gómez said, noting that Nardo the first Latina winner of Miss Teen Global. Until then, the only winners of the pageant, led by Malaysian Leo Raynold, had been Asian teenagers.
Since the Miss Universe Cuba franchise was established in Miami under the direction of Venezuelan lawyer and designer Prince Julio César in 2024, the city has become a hub for training beauty queens of Cuban origin who represent the island in international competitions.
Social work with children in Miami
Toledo was crowned Miss Teen Global Cuba late last year after training at Silhouette Modeling Academy, located in southwest Miami.
Modeling since she was 7, the new Miss Teen Global will have a busy year of travel, photo shoots, and social work that will take her to different countries to spread the pageant’s message.
“The goal is for teenagers not to let fear stop them, and to keep working, so their dreams come true,” said Toledo, who plans to study psychology at Florida International University (FIU).
For now, she combines her work as an after-school activities counselor with her social project, Las Alas de Isa: Compartiendo Esperanza (Isa’s Wings: Sharing Hope), focused on creating entertainment and creative art activities for vulnerable children, some with disabilities.
“I’ve always loved working with kids. It makes me happy to know I can change their day by making them laugh,” said Toledo, who wants to become an occupational therapist.
A trip to Cuba
Toledo has been to Cuba once, when she was very young, but she still remembers the family trip which was the fulfillment of a promise. Her grandmother had promised they would all go to the island if Toledo’s aunt, who had difficulty conceiving, managed to get pregnant.
When they traveled, the aunt’s eight-month-old baby was already part of the group, Toledo recalls, and she was captivated by the Cuban scenery.
After a long car ride, they arrived at a mountain lodging at night. When she woke up, she was struck by the beauty of the landscape, impossible to imagine in the darkness of the previous night.
“I remember eating a lot of mamoncillos. They are the best I’ve ever had,” Toledo said.
Cuban flavor and music, two of her great passions
Cuban food and music are two of Toledo’s great passions. Her favorite dishes are ropa vieja, black beans, and churrasco.
“That’s what I asked my dad and my grandmother to make for me when I got back from Malaysia,” she said.
Her family, from Pinar del Río, raised her to be an optimist that finds the best in every situation and the ability to maked people feel welcome.
“I was raised to welcome everyone with open arms. That’s in my blood,” Toledo said.
Training beauty queens in Miami
With 15 years of experience in the beauty industry, Gómez noticed upon arriving to Miami after the pandemic that there was a gap in training young Cuban women to compete in beauty contests.
Four years ago he founded Miss Teen Cuba Inc. and, together with the organization’s directors — Edwin Maldonado and Sofía Acosta, Miss Grand Cuba 2023 — he trains teenagers in runway, public speaking and stage presence.
“We focus on highlighting the values, talent and beauty of Cuban teenagers,” Gómez said, noting that he now holds seven pageant franchises: five for teens and two for adults.
Jhoana Uranga, Miss Teen International Cuba 2026, will be sent to the contest held in August in New Delhi, India.
Maria Dewar, 16, will represent Cuba at Miss Teen Icon International, to be held in November in Indonesia.
For adult pageants, the organization will send Lianet Aguilera to Miss Supranational and Juan Daniel Naranjo to Mister Supranational, both contests held in Poland.
Naranjo, who lives in Cuba, was second runner-up in Mister Cuba 2024 and first runner-up in Mister Mesoamérica Internacional 2025, held in El Salvador.
As for Toledo, she will soon start preparing for adult pageants. Gómez predicts a bright future for her thanks to the training she already has and her discipline in constantly improving.
