Curaçao along with its “twin island” of Aruba are both located in the Caribbean and are constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In the world of pageantry however, these two countries are known for sending candidates that can leave lasting impressions. Aruban queens like Maureen Ava Vieira (who was a household name in the Philippines back in ’70s), Zizi Lee and Taryn Mansell were unforgettable candidates in their respective pageants. For Curaçao, Annemarie Braafheid and Verna Vasquez are considered legendary contestants at Miss Universe. READ IN FOCUS :: Aruba and Curaçao can surprise us at times
Recently, Curaçao has been doing well at Miss Universe. Kanisha Sluis and Akisha Albert made it to the Top in 2015 and 2018 respectively. In 2020, Chantal Wiertz made it to the Top 21. Thus this year, expect another stellar performance from Curaçao! Gabriela Dos Santos will be the country’s representative for the Miss Universe 2022 pageant which will be held later this year. Pageant enthusiasts are already saying that Gabriela is a Top 10 material!
Gabriela Dos Santos is 20 years of age and believes in the empowerment of women. She was crowned in a gala held at Renaissance Wind Curacao Resort. The first runner-up is Marianne Pietersz while the second runner-up is Andreina Pereira. Some of the big names who attended the event were Miss Universe 2021 Top 5 finalist Valeria Ayos of Colombia and Natalie Ackerman, national director of Miss Universe Colombia.
