MISS UNIVERSE 2008

DAYANA MENDOZA
MISS UNIVERSE® 2008

On July 13, 2008, in front of 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 Mendoza was raised in a very close knit family, the result of sharing a two room home with her mother, father, uncle, grandmother and younger sister. She is anxious to start championing the official causes of MISS UNIVERSE®, which include increasing HIV/AIDS awareness by focusing on womenís 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.