Her name is Adriela Sofía, she is 19 years old and an interview celebrating Sheynnis Palacios’ triumph as Miss Universe 2023 went viral on social networks. But his story with the beauty queen began in 2017.
“I was very shy, very ashamed, I didn’t have much self-esteem because I had just left a very difficult environment,” the young woman tells LA PRENSA. She was bullied in her elementary school years, and when she met Sheynnis at the 2017 Telethon, the then-teenage beauty queen helped her restore her confidence and socialize.
🫶😊 https://t.co/6jVH4japLj
— Sofia (@adrisofia72004) November 21, 2023
Sofía’s mother has a dance academy and was Sheynnis’ dance teacher, “from that moment she treated me with great affection because I was the daughter of her dance teacher.” Adriela Sofía returned her affection and from that moment began to dance her together with her mother to support the beauty pageants in which today’s Miss Universe took part.
“Sheynnis hasn’t changed since I met her,” says the young woman.
“We were always there, in almost every phase,” says the young woman, which is why she is now extremely proud that she is successful and fulfilling her dreams.
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For her, Sheynnis is a symbol of improvement and a message to girls that dreams can come true.
The viral interview
On Saturday, November 19, Nicaraguans witnessed the triumph of the first Nicaraguan and Central American woman to win the Miss Universe crown. The young woman, who was previously Miss Teen, Miss World and Miss Nicaragua, filled thousands of homes in the country with emotion and took to the streets with hundreds of Nicaraguans in caravans and with blue and white flags to celebrate her victory.
Among those hundreds was Adriela Sofía. Days earlier, her family had decided to watch the competition at one of her aunts’ house. They bought pizza and suddenly the announcement came that the Nicaraguan was moving into the top 20. When they announced the top 10 candidates, Adriela began to cry: “With emotion that someone so well-known has achieved something so great.” Nicaraguan.”
Decency
Already in the top three, Adriela was sure that the young woman she met and helped her emotionally would be the winner.
When Sheynnis was actually crowned, the family decided to drive a caravan to the beauty queen’s house. There they found a sea of people supporting the family.
Also read: Sheynnis Palacios, Miss Universe 2023: “My life has changed”
Adriela says the Channel 10 reporter came up to her and asked her how she felt. “I didn’t know much what to say, it just came from my heart to say that I’ve seen his entire journey. And the last thing I barely understood was that I wanted to shout “Miss Universe, Sheynnis Palacios,” the young woman remembers.
“It feels strange but exciting at the same time to get so much attention out of nowhere, this attention came out of nowhere, I wasn’t expecting it,” he says. Her friends are amazed because they know her as a shy person who has difficulty speaking. “They never expected to see me screaming and making noise in an interview,” says the young woman.
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Her video was shared on various social networks and some people on the street recognized her, but she is in no hurry for Sheynnis to see her video. You can, he says, wait until he hands over his crown to tell him, “Look, I was a national meme.”
Graphic designer and dancer
Adriela Sofía will begin studying graphic design at American University (UAM) next year, a career she learned on her own. She also works as a pollster, studies English and is passionate about dancing.
She says her future makes her nervous, but she hopes to graduate with good grades. “I feel obliged to leave a mark that I have done something so that Nicaraguans say, ‘Wow, Nicaragua has people with good values’.”
She wants to be, as she says, “a dedicated dancer” and thanks the people who identified with her enthusiasm for Sheynnis’ success at a world competition. “Thank you very much for being there, being a very nice person and supporting people so enthusiastically.”