Stephanie Del Valle grew up in San Juan surrounded by music, performing in the city’s children’s choir and falling in love with the stage from an early age. As a teenager, she was discovered by Puerto Rican designer Carlos Alberto, who encouraged her to enter the world of fashion and pageants. In 2016, at just 19 years old, she became the second Puerto Rican to win Miss World, after Wilnelia Merced in 1975.

Her year as Miss World took her around the globe to countries such as India, Indonesia, South Africa, and the Philippines. She worked closely with the Beauty with a Purpose campaign, which raised millions for grassroots charities. One of her proudest moments was in Puerto Rico with Lily’s Angels, where she created a music therapy program for children with Down syndrome. The initiative brought children with and without special needs together, and its impact was profound: one young girl named Lily began to speak and sing after years of being nonverbal.

After her reign, Stephanie became the first official ambassador for Beauty with a Purpose, continuing her philanthropic work, including a menstrual health campaign in India that led to the documentary Beauty With a Purpose: The Story Never Told. She also signed with New York Models, where she helped launch their curve division, and has since modeled for brands like Ralph Lauren, Steve Madden, and Drunk Elephant. At the same time, she returned to her studies in New York, pursuing law and communications.

Expanding into acting and media, she has appeared in campaigns, commercials, and co-hosted the international broadcast of 72nd Miss World Festival, in Telangana, India. She says she approaches every audition with the mindset that it could be the final cut, bringing the same dedication that once carried her to the Miss World crown.

Click on medium.com to read Stephanie’s full interview.