Michelle Marie Colón Ramírez (born September 1, 2000) is a Puerto Rican model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned

Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2021 Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2021 was the 65th edition of the Miss Universe Puerto Rico pageant, held on September 30, 2021 at Luis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Estefanía Soto of San Sebastián, Puerto Rico, San Sebas ...

and represented Puerto Rico at

Miss Universe 2021 Miss Universe 2021 was the 70th Miss Universe pageant, held at the Universe Dome in Eilat, Israel on December 13, 2021. At the end of the event, Andrea Meza of Mexico crowned Harnaaz Sandhu of India as Miss Universe 2021. It is India's firs ...

where she finished in the Top 10. She is the first Afro-Puerto Rican to win the national title.

Early life and education

Colón was born on September 1, 2000, in

Bayamón, Puerto Rico Bayamón (, ) is a Bayamón barrio-pueblo, city, Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality of Puerto Rico and suburb of San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan located in the northern coastal valley, north of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico, Aguas Buenas an ...

to a Puerto Rican father and a Dominican mother. She has two half sisters and a half brother from her father's side. Her maternal great-grandfather Rodolfo Cohn was of Ashkenazi Jewish descent and immigrated to the Dominican Republic after surviving the Holocaust.

Pageantry

Colón was named Miss Teen Puerto Rico 2018 and later went on to win the title of Miss Teen Americas. In 2020, she entered the casting of Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2020, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the pageant was cancelled and the 2019 edition first Runner-Up Estefanía Soto was designated to represented Puerto Rico at the 2020 Miss Universe pageant as a result. Colón later competed at

, where she became the first representative from Loíza to win the title. She represented Puerto Rico at

which was held on December 13, 2021, at Universe Dome in Eilat, Israel. She is the first woman of predominantly African heritage to represent the island at Miss Universe. Colón placed in the semifinals, ultimately finishing in the Top 10. This was the first time Puerto Rico placed four consecutive years, effectively ending the island's "three placement curse" at Miss Universe. The winner was

Harnaaz Sandhu Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu (born 3 March 2000) is an Indian model, actress, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe 2021. Sandhu had been previously crowned Miss Diva Universe 2021, and is the third entrant from India to win Miss ...

of India.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Colón, Michelle 2000 births Puerto Rican beauty pageant winners Puerto Rican people of Dominican Republic descent Puerto Rican people of Jewish descent Hispanic and Latino American female models Living people Miss Universe 2021 contestants People from Bayamón, Puerto Rico People from Loíza, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican female models People of Afro–Puerto Rican descent