Watch: Most Beautiful Miss Universe 2018 Contestants

Watch: Most Beautiful Miss Universe 2018 Contestants

Andrea Toscano
Mexico
AGE
20
HEIGHT
5'8"
LANGUAGES
SPANISH, ENGLISH
Andrea Toscano is studying Nutrition at Colimaas University with academic excellence, and is involved in a Neurolinguistic programming course. At the age of 13, her parents divorced and she had to step in and take responsibility of guiding her siblings. At 15 years old, Andrea has been an entrepreneur through creating and leading a team of cheerleaders called "rabbits" to promote sports in her city. Then at 17 years old, she faced a new stage in her life: being independent. Before entering beauty pageants, she started a nutrition project for inter-state migrant children to give nutritional education and improve their health and quality of life through balanced nutrition. Now, as Miss Universe Mexico, Andrea works to make her project bigger, and is called "Nourish a child, feed Mexico", that promotes nutritional education through a playful method with a National scope. With the same purpose, she is developing an app to help guide children to carry out a healthy lifestyle. Andrea, wants to be Miss Universe and make a real change in global health and nutrition.




Baek Ji-hyun
Korea
AGE
21
HEIGHT
5'9"
LANGUAGES
KOREAN
Ji-Hyun Baek is a multi-talented super model and singer with a master's degree in Saprano. Ji-Hyun is currently training to become a pastry chef and barista so she can eventually open her own desert cafe. When she's not working on her craft, she likes to stay active through cross country cycling. Ji-Hyun is an avid philanthropist who is an active supporter of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, for the past 6 years.




Marta Magdalena Stepien
Canada
AGE
24
HEIGHT
5'10"
LANGUAGES
ENGLISH, POLISH
Marta Magdalena Stepien is entering her last year of of school with a degree in Biomedical Engineering Technology with a 3.96 GPA. She has a strong interest in Genetics and Immunology, and has worked as an Applied Researcher. Marta Magdalena has a 10 year international modeling career under her belt, and has worked with numerous reputable companies and designers. Her pageant experience allowed her to become a government appointed Japanese Tourism Ambassador. These roles have allowed her to travel the globe, experiencing different cultures in countries such as Poland, Japan, France, England, Germany, South Korea, Switzerland, and Colombia, thus allowing her to better understand the people and world around her. She is also fluent in Polish, English, as well as conversational French and German. Any spare time is occupied by her artistic talents, charity work, or a continuous dedication to leading an active lifestyle. If the crown returns to Canada after 13 years, she's determined to empower young women and girls who come from backgrounds similar to her: low income, single parent, and immigrant. Marta Magdalena wants to work towards creating her own after school programs that are free of charge to attend, which focus on sparking a love for technology, encompassing robotics, coding and networking.




Catriona Gray
Philippines
AGE
24
HEIGHT
5'10"
LANGUAGES
ENGLISH, TAGALOG
Catriona Elisa Gray is known to spontaneously burst into song, which is most likely due to her love of the arts and her Master Certificate in Music Theory. A great travel buddy and definitely not a "scaredy cat," Catriona is always game for heart racing adventures. Zipline, anyone? This model is openly passionate about her love for Filipino dishes including adobo, balut, and the sweetest mangoes in the world. Catriona is an HIV/AIDS advocate at Love Yourself PH, and volunteers as a Teacher's Assistant to the students of Young Focus NGO. Catriona hopes to make her country proud at this year's Miss Universe competition.




Katrin Lea Elenudottir
Iceland
AGE
19
HEIGHT
5'6"
LANGUAGES
ENGLISH, RUSSIAN, ICELANDIC
Katrin Lea was born in Siberia, Russia but raised in Iceland almost all her childhood. She is fluent in Icelandic, English and Russian and is passionate about learning Danish, Latin, and French. She volunteers assisting teen immigrants with school work as well as helping them with daily life challenges they may be facing. This became her passion because of her strong connection she has with them as an immigrant herself. She has established a program called "BeBrave" which focuses on helping immigrants adjust to a new country and culture. In her spare time she enjoys running, reading the classics, going to the theater and traveling abroad. She looks forward to visiting Asia for the first time and learning more about the Thai culture.




Yuumi Kato
Japan
AGE
22
HEIGHT
5'6"
LANGUAGES
JAPANESE
Yuumi Kato, 22 years old, was born in Japan and raised in Malaysia. Yuumi has a very unique background and had many challenges growing up with an underprivileged background. She was required to stop formal education at the age of 13 and was sent to a remote island in Malaysia to survive on her own. There, she had to forage for food in the jungle and sea. At the age of 14, she struggled to fit into society without any formal education. She had to work to support herself and her family. As a result, she became independent at an early age and was able to stand up to society's prejudices. After experiencing a lot of hardship and having to overcome many fears, she wants to share her story of never giving up in any challenges, big or small, and to have the power to believe in ourselves. With her experience she wants to spread the message that women can empower themselves around the world as well as support children in poverty.




Kiara Ortega
Puerto Rico
AGE
25
HEIGHT
5'7"
LANGUAGES
ENGLISH, SPANISH
Kiara Ortega would best describe herself as a cheerful, spontaneous, and a helpful young woman. For her, the most important thing in life is living experiences that humanize her. By being a part of the Miss Universe platform, she hopes to spread a message of hope to unite our world.




Magdalena Swat
Poland
Age: 27Hometown: Ostrowiec _wi_tokrzyski
Height: 5'8"Birthday: May 28
Magdalena Swat graduated from Warsaw University of Technology with a Masters of Science in Administration. She works as a model and influencer, but her true passion is Psychology. She believes that self-awareness is the key to success. Magdalena loves fashion, sports and developing knowledge about healthy lifestyles. She is an artistic soul and loves singing and painting. Magdalena hopes to make her country proud at this year's Miss Universe competition.




Manita Devkota
Nepal
Age: 23Hometown: Gorkha
Height: 5'8"Birthday: April 11
Manita Devkota is an advocate for girls' education, public health, and women empowerment. Manita has a degree in Public Health and is an Ambassador of Women's Health at Days for Girls International. She is working to change the stigmas and obstacles that menstruating women and girls face in Nepal. In her free time, Manita enjoys cooking Asian cuisines, traveling the world, hiking, and reading novels. She aspires to be an Attorney to help women in regards to health and women's rights. If she takes home the crown, she hopes to use her degree to provide health education, and advocate for children's nutrition and maternal health.




Romina Lozano
Peru
Age: 22Hometown: San Martin
Height: 5'10"Birthday: November 06
Romina Lozano comes from a humble family that lives in San Martin, located in the jungle region of Peroe. She grew up surrounded by love and strength given to her by her family. However, because of the lack of resources, opportunities, and vulnerable situation she lived in, she knew she had to move to Lima in order to grow and pursue her dreams. At the age of 18, she became independent and moved on her own to Lima where she worked in four different jobs in order to make a suitable living for herself. Her biggest motivation comes from her mother and all the young girls in her hometown. Now crowned as Miss Peroe, she believes one should always lead by example and strive to be symbol of commitment and hope for all the young girls that want to make their dreams come true. Romina has travelled all around Peroe looking to inspire women to take action and raise their voice against violence. Her mission is to help those in need and promote a society where men and women can be seen as equal.




Tara Madelein De Varies
Turkey
AGE
20
HEIGHT
5'9"
LANGUAGES
ENGLISH, DUTCH, TURKISH
Tara de Vries is studying business administration at Koc University in Istanbul. She was born in Amsterdam and raised in Holland until she was 12 years of age. She is a blend of two cultures as she has a Turkish mom (Miss Universe Turkey 1992) and a Dutch father. Her biggest motivation in life is her families unique story as her own struggle at a young age. Her 4 year younger brother was born with a rare anomaly and has gone under 40+ surgeries. After a year of intensive care, 7 years of sign language, and all the nursing around her little brother, it had caused Tara the psychological disease called "Selective Mutism". Tara has lived with her family in Holland, Turkey, France and New York due to the operations of her brother and the availability to his care. Tara has become passionate and active in organizations that allow her to raise awareness and help children who have disabilities. She strives to be a young role model for the women in Turkey. Her strong advocacy focuses on children and women to empower their own qualities and strength in their lives. If she takes home the Miss Universe crown, she will be able to create a wide-spread awareness and global support for families globally with shared life experiences.




Virginia Limongi Silva
Ecuador
AGE
24
HEIGHT
5'9"
LANGUAGES
ENGLISH, PORTUGUESE, SPANISH
Virginia Limongi grew up in a small town at the coast of Ecuador and is the second child of seven siblings. As a child she developed a love for animals, especially for cats, so much that she adopted four cats without telling her parents. Virginia has a spirit of adventure because she is always seeking to learn new cultures, languages and tradition. Her passion to travel began when she was 17 years old, when she lived in Germany for a year. Now, Virginia is studying nutrition. She hopes to make her country proud at this year's Miss Universe competition.