Profile: Miss Universe 2008 -

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  • My Last Blog

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 10:45am on 08/23/2009

    To the fans… Thank you so much everybody for being so supportive and loving of me. I will never forget you. You were a big part of my life this year, thank you for caring and reading my words every week, thank you for your emails and messages, thank you for being so great! As this is my las ... more

    115 comments

  • The Beginning of the End

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 7:42am on 08/20/2009

    Hi everyone! I'm still here in the Bahamas having as much fun as I can in my last days as Miss Universe. Atlantis has so much to do that it's easy to spend so much time here and never get bored! I’ve been enjoying the beach, lazy river, all the water slides and even the gym haha. Last Sunday, ... more

    158 comments

  • Well...This Is It!

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 10:08am on 08/01/2009

    Hi my beautiful people! Guess what? I'm going to miss you all :( This week I've had a lot of interviews and I have to say one of them was with Howard Stern, how cool? I had a lot of fun! I might even say it was the most fun interview I have ever done. I have being trying to work out often and pack ... more

    101 comments

  • One More Week

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 2:07pm on 07/24/2009

    Hi everyone!!! How funny? My reign as Miss Universe is about to come to an end! I'm so excited for the transition. Well, the big event this week (other than packing and hanging out) was flying to Italy only to come back home 3 hours later hahaha, crazy ah? I love it! I also did some interviews this ... more

    37 comments

  • My Last Trip as Miss Universe

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 8:25am on 06/29/2009

    Sadly, I had my last International trip as Miss Universe to Romania this week, and it couldn't have been better. It was the perfect place to close out this opportunity of a life-time. I was so excited about the language because I understood some of the things people were saying. Romanian has the sam ... more

    46 comments

  • Miami & The Hottest New DJ

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 1:20pm on 06/19/2009

    After my amazing week in Bahamas at the Atlantis, I went to Miami and worked with Telemundo. We did a few interviews and I got to shoot some things to promote the Miss Universe pageant on August 23rd. I got to attend a few of their shows like ‘Al Rojo Vivo’, ‘Titulares’, ... more

    28 comments

  • The Bahamas & My Newest Hobby

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 12:09pm on 06/16/2009

    I went to the Bahamas last week and I was there until I officially felt like a Bohemian :)! We did a lot of work trying to get everything ready for the pageant, filming in different Islands, meeting the local people, trying typical dishes, and, most importantly, having so much fun!!! I also swam wit ... more

    9 comments

  • Readying for the Bahamas

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 12:06pm on 06/04/2009

    Hi everyone! Sadly my vacations are over. I'm at the airport in Paris right now, waiting for the plane to arrive in the gate to go back to NY. Once I'm home, I guess I won’t have time for much of anything aside from doing my laundry, unpack and pack again (as always), because the day after (Fr ... more

    77 comments

  • Vacation in the South of France

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 6:58am on 05/29/2009

    I had one of my best experiences ever in Argentina for the Miss Universe Argentina pageant!!!! Right now, I’m taking a much-deserved vacation. I decided to take some time off and visit the south of France with family and you guys have no idea how happy I am. It is so cool to have bar ... more

    29 comments

  • Bolivia & Argentina

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 7:37am on 05/26/2009

    Hi all! This week has been non-stop from the beginning! Right after arriving home from the Dominican Republic, I left immediately the next day to Bolivia for the pageant (which was held in Sucre). The opening of the show was beautiful, they showed all the traditions from each province and their typi ... more

    9 comments

  • Brazil and Hosting the Cielo Latino Gala

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 6:49am on 05/18/2009

    First of all, I want to thank you all for being so supportive of me during my reign as Miss Universe. When I started, I had no idea how many people would read my blog and respond so genuinely and nicely to it, so to you all, I’m dedicating my letters!!! Thank you so much! :) You are amazing! ... more

    11 comments

  • Dubai and Brazil

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 3:11pm on 05/11/2009

    I went to Dubai this week!!!! I was invited to attend the opening of the Cavalli Club, so we went there and the party was awesome! Roberto Cavalli and his daughter were there as well, it was so good to see them again. I also got time to do a little tour around the city, I was so happy for that! ... more

    12 comments

  • El Salvador

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 7:19am on 04/29/2009

    I went to El Salvador this week to work with PSI and Pasmo, with the campaign Hombres de Verdad. I got to see Rebeca Moreno again, who is Miss El Salvador, and we had a lot of fun together. The Vice President of El Salvador, Ana Vilma de Escobar, attended the launch of Hombres de Verdad here in San ... more

    12 comments

  • Sometimes it feels like a dream...

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 10:23am on 04/17/2009

    First off, I've been Twittering a lot recently. Check out twitter.com/Daayaanaa where I'll keep you up to date with all the happenings in the life of a Miss Universe. As for this week....This Monday, I was a special guest on the Cristina Show and it was a surreal experience for me. The fact that I w ... more

    13 comments

  • My TV Appearance

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 1:09pm on 04/09/2009

    I got to see my friends from GMHC this week, I was very glad to be there with them again, they are amazing to me and I always have fun with them. Today, it hurts to walk hahaha. My trainer Kevin made me work out a lot this week, and I do love that, but I don’t like the pain in the morning when ... more

    11 comments

  • Home Alone ;)

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 11:41am on 04/09/2009

    This week has been beautiful! Everybody from the Organization is in Las Vegas for the Miss USA pageant April 19th (guys dont get me wrong, I do miss you all). So I got to stay home, relax and do my litle things like working out, study French and English. Oh! So, I got to see my friend Milana who I h ... more

    18 comments

  • Guantanamo Bay

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 4:50pm on 03/31/2009

    March 31st, 2009 - Statement by Paula M. Shugart, President of the Miss Universe Organization regarding Guantánamo Bay blog entry by Miss Universe, Dayana Mendoza: The Miss Universe Organization has had a longstanding relationship with the USO (United Service Organizations). All three titl ... more

    23 comments

  • Miami Fashion Week & Guantanamo Bay

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 5:00pm on 03/20/2009

    This week I did some paper work at the office, and on Wednesday I went to a Latin club, where Jorge Villamizar (the Bacilos's singer) was playing. I got to meet all the guys from the band, and we took some great pictures! They were very nice. I had a great time it was fun to listen to Latin music fo ... more

    1 comments

  • Puerto Rico

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 5:01pm on 03/16/2009

    Following the snow and cold in Russia, I went to Puerto Rico this week. Finally I was back in one of my favorite countries, especially because the people there are amazing!!!! Right after we landed, we had a press conference to discuss the Puerto Rico Open, an event that is being held on the Hotel M ... more

    0 comments

  • My Miss Universe 2009 Announcement !!

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 5:02pm on 03/09/2009

    Well guys, now you all now where the next Miss Universe 2009 is going to be!!!! I started this week having such a great time in The Bahamas, uffff such a release from the cold weather and the snow (that I love any way). On Wednesday we had a press conference where the Minister of Tourism Vincent Van ... more

    9 comments

  • Czech Republic

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 5:02pm on 02/27/2009

    This week I have being trying to get over jet lag, but it hasn't worked so far... I decided to sleep whenever I felt tired, because I was flying to Czech Republic on Thursday, yupiiiiiii! Praga! there i go! I arrived on Friday morning and right after, we had a press conference, then we went to me ... more

    0 comments

  • Fashion Week '09

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 5:03pm on 02/19/2009

    This week I've being going to GMHC pretty often, and there I've being having the best soup ever. I've being getting English classes and I went to the foot doctor, the dentist, the nutritionist, and dermatologist, just for some check-ups. I did a fitting with Cristiano, from acaCavalli's, for the sho ... more

    0 comments

  • NBC, Asian Initiatives and a Surprise for you!

    posted by Dayana Mendoza at 5:03pm on 02/06/2009

    After I woke up in the morning, and finally stopped being lazy, I cooked a very nice breakfast and I was ready to go to the gym, and then to my English class. I’m still working on my pronunciation, I’m very bad with the "th" (is sooooo hard!!!). Tuesday was too fun! I had an in ... more

    9 comments

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On July 13, 2008, in front of nearly one billion viewers worldwide, Dayana Mendoza's life changed forever when she was crowned Miss Universe 2008 in Nha Trang, Vietnam. The 22 year-old former Miss Venezuela was born in Caracas and speaks three languages - Spanish, English and Italian.

Dayana Mendoza was discovered at the age of 13 at a local bus stop. Since then she has gained vast experience in catalogue modeling and has worked with prestigious companies like Max Mara and Costume Nacional. Modeling has allowed Dayana to travel the world visiting places like New York, Italy, Germany, France, Athens and Spain.

Although Dayana had a successful modeling career, her lifelong ambition is to become either an interior designer or work in the field of advertising. About a year ago, she began taking classes on interior design to help refine her skills. Whenever she enters a room she can not contain her sudden urge to start rearranging furniture and suggesting color palettes.

Dayana was raised in a very close knit family perhaps the result of sharing a two room home with her mother, father, uncle, grandmother and younger sister. She has proven to be a great champion for the official causes of MISS UNIVERSE®, which include increasing HIV/AIDS awareness by focusing on women's health and reproductive issues and forging relationships with organizations committed to research and education including the Latino Commission on AIDS, Global Health Council and God's Love We Deliver.

The Miss Universe Organization producers of the Miss UNIVERSE®, MISS USA® and MISS TEEN USA® Pageants is a Donald J. Trump and NBC Universal joint venture.

  • Gay Men's Health Crisis

    Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based organization committed to national leadership in the fight against AIDS. We provide prevention and care services to more than 15,000 men, women and families that are living with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS in New York City, and advocate for scientific, evidence-based public health solutions for hundreds of thousands worldwide.

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Dayana Mendoza

Miss Universe 2008

State:
Venezuela
Hometown:
Caracas
Age:
25