Dayanara Torres

Dayanara Torres Delgado was born on October 28, 1974, in the small Puerto Rican town of Toa Alta. As a small town girl, Dayanara had small-town dreams, and for a while they included becoming an orthodontist.

Her distinctive looks, however, soon led Dayanara on a different career path, and she began entering beauty pageants as a teenager. In 1992, she competed against the best her hometown had to offer and was crowned Miss Toa Alta. This title allowed her entry in another pageant, competing against the most attractive women in Puerto Rico. She emerged victorious, as Miss Puerto Rico.

In May of 1993, Dayanara arrived in Mexico City for the Miss Universe competition. Faced with fierce competition from such complex-named beauties as Paula Andrea Betancourt Arroyave and Milka Yelisava Chulina Urbanich, Dayanara came out on top, becoming Puerto Rico's third Miss Universe.

Initally, there was controversy associated with Dayanara's win. It was suggested that she was only 17 years old at the time of the pageant and therefore ineligible to compete (the minimum entry age is 18). A few phone calls clarified that she had been of age since the previous October.