Jennifer Colón Alvarado (born December 21, 1987), also known as Jenny Allende, is a Puerto Rican singer,

Tv Personality Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

, and former

beauty queen A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...

who represented her

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

Miss World 2009 Miss World 2009, the 59th edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 12 December 2009 at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa. 112 contestants from all over the world competed for the crown, marking the biggest tu ...

Early life

Colón was very creative as a child and had an early interest in music, science and art. Her grandfather, Eliseo Alvarado, was a well known musician in Orocovis, Puerto Rico. When she was 4 years old her brother was born with a rare disease called nonketotic hyperglycinemia. This and the flooding of their family home in San Juan made her parents move with her grandparents in Orocovis Puerto Rico for a few months. The sound of Colón's grandfather playing the cuatro (an instrument from Puerto Rico) left a mark in her heart and created a passion for sounds and melodies. In 2005, she graduated with honors from

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

Colegio Bautista in Levittown, Puerto Rico and studied

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

for three years (2005–2008) at

Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico The Inter American University of Puerto Rico (Spanish: ''Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico''; often abbreviated to ''UIPR'' or ''Inter'') is a private Christian university with its main campus in San Germán, Puerto Rico. It also has c ...

in Cupey. In 2008, she changed her major to

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

, studying at the Polytechnic University of PR, but only for one year. As a model, Colón appeared in many editorials and fashion shows in Puerto Rico and is one of the most sought after models on the island.

Pageant participation

Miss Teen of Puerto Rico 2006

At 16 years old, Colón participated in Miss Teen of PR 2006 with Natalia Rivera Piñero, where she placed 2nd runner-up.

Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2009

On October 22, 2008, Colón competed in the

Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2009 The 54th Annual Miss Puerto Rico Universe pageant was held at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum on October 22, 2008 in Hato Rey section of San Juan, Puerto Rico. A record of 70 contestants competed for the crown, in which the competition was tel ...

competition representing

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

municipality. She was considered a strong contender and was predicted by many to win the pageant. However, she placed 1st runner-up to

Mayra Matos Mayra Matos Pérez (born August 28, 1988 in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican actress, writer, fashion model and beauty pageant titleholder who held the title of Miss Teen International 2006 and Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2009. Miss Pue ...

of Cabo Rojo. She also won the award for "Most Beautiful Hair".

Miss World Puerto Rico 2009

In early 2009, Colón decided to represent her hometown of Bayamón in the

Miss World Puerto Rico 2009 The Miss World Puerto Rico 2009 pageant was held on July 23, 2009 in Puerto Rico. Ivonne Orsini of San Juan, who won the title of Miss World Puerto Rico 2008 and classified as one of the semi-finalists at Miss World 2008, crowned her successor, ...

pageant, held on July 23, 2009 in Puerto Rico. Prior to the final competition, Colón won the Top Model fast-track event on July 9, which automatically guaranteed her a spot as a semi-finalist.

Ivonne Orsini Ivonne Marie Orsini López (born April 6, 1988, at Bayamón) is a Puerto Rican actress, model and TV personality. Her career began in the pageantry industry, but she has moved into other media. Orsini was one of the hosts of WAPA-TV show ''� ...

, who won the title of

Miss World Puerto Rico 2008 Miss World Puerto Rico 2008, The annual competition was held in Puerto Rico, televised live by Telemundo Puerto Rico. Miss World Puerto Rico 2007, Jennifer Guevara Campos of Orocovis was succeeded by Ivonne Orsini, from San Juan who won the M ...

, would eventually crown Colón as

Miss World 2009

Colón represented Puerto Rico at the

pageant, held in

Johannesburg, South Africa Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

on December 12, 2009, where she was one of the semifinalists in the

Miss World Sports Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Miss Inte ...

and

Miss World Beach Beauty Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Miss Int ...

fast-track events but did not advance to the semifinals in the final competition.

Personal life

Through people in Miss World Puerto Rico, she met Elan Allende, son of

Fernando Allende Luis Fernando Allende Arenas (born November 10, 1952) is a Mexican singer, actor, painter, film producer, and film director. Early life Allende was born in Mexico. His father is Mexican, and his mother is from Cuba. Allende's grandfather on his f ...

. On September 21, 2010 Colón and Allende secretly wed in Puerto Rico with only relatives present. The couple's daughter Maria Valentina was born on June 21, 2011. On April 20, 2012 the couple welcomed their second child, son Fernando Jose. Together they form the Latin pop music duo called Shambayah. Previously both Elan and Jenny were cast members for the reality TV show on Bravo TV called '' Mexican Dynasties''. The show was canceled after one season. As of May 2021, the couple has separated and filed for divorce. Jenny is currently engaged to actor Jairo Calero.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colon, Jennifer People from Bayamón, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican people of Spanish descent 1987 births Interamerican University of Puerto Rico alumni Living people Puerto Rican female models Miss World 2009 delegates Puerto Rican beauty pageant winners Colón