Miss Universe Belize Unveils Its Most Diverse Delegation Yet

Late last year, the Miss Universe Belize franchise made a call for women to join the line-up after they announced that the franchise would be undergoing a transformation under its new ownership, House of Crowns. Now, with these changes implemented, women of all ages and marital backgrounds were eligible to apply and after much suspense, the delegation has been unveiled. We caught up with National Director, Destinee Arnold and a few delegates, here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with the story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

The Miss Universe Belize franchise has finally announced its delegation, kicking off its pageant festivities. A diverse array of women from different backgrounds was selected to potentially represent Belize internationally. We spoke with National Director, Destinee Arnold, who told us more about the delegation.

 

Destinee Arnold, National Director, House of Crowns

“It is amazing to start to develop that culture of not giving up on your dream and continue to be steadfast in the pursuit of all your aspirations. Just because a door closes doesn’t mean that you can’t find a window that will open up to you. And we are really taking advantage of all the barriers that have lifted. it and taking advantage of the inclusivity of women, no matter how old you are, what your marital status is, or if you have children, it’s truly a celebration of a woman in all her forms.”

 

Arnold explained that this delegation is the result of months of hard work and deliberation.

 

Destinee Arnold

“Monday night was a huge night because we finally got to show basically the world, the Miss Universe Belize 2024  class and just to see the fruits of our labor and the result of when visionaries, creatives and organizers combine their talents to see the result of that was just breathtaking for me. It literally left me in tears. And I think I speak for all of my team that we were all emotional as we watched everything play out.”

 

We also spoke with a few delegates to hear how they are feeling about this year’s competition. Twenty-three-year-old Monilee Aspinall stated that it is an honour to be a part of this year’s diverse delegation.

 

 

 

Monilee Aspinall, Delegate

“Meeting the delegates. They have been what an amazing group of people. They’re so accomplished. They’re so passionate about, you know, all the things that, makes them who they are, their values, their family  and so being a part of that, I feel absolutely blessed and honored to, for them to even have the belief that I’m one of those people that could contribute towards their vision. So I’m super excited to see how it progresses.”

 

 

We also sat down with Vivian Noralez, a returning contestant who competed in 2019, but is back again with renewed vigor.

 

Vivian Noralez, Delegate

“It is an honor. Actually, when I first decided to re compete, a lot of people were sending me the flyer that Miss Belize will be back at Miss Universe. And they were like, Vivian, we just Feel like you should give it one more try. One more try. And I was so nervous. I was just nervous of the fact/ being back on stage, being in the spotlight again. But I do feel prepared and I feel like now I have a lot more to offer. So it wasn’t that I don’t think I’m ready, it’s just that you have to mentally prepare yourself to be out there again. coming back seeing all the girls, all the women, I just got to meet them two weeks ago, and it is such a diverse group.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.