Beauty queens, Bryoni Govender and Sheynnis Palacios. Pictures: Instagram/ @official_misssa and @missuniverse
Bryoni Govender has congratulated the new Miss Universe, Sheynnis Palacios from Nicaragua.
Even though Bryoni missed out on the title, she made it to the Top 20 of the competition and was named one of the Top 10 silver finalists in Miss Universe 2023’s Voice For Change.
Miss Universe 2023 was crowned in El Salvador this past weekend, where Anntonia Porsild of Thailand took the first runner-up place, and Moraya Wilson of Australia took the second runner-up title.
Bryoni said It was an honour to share the stage with Sheynnis and other ladies who were vying for the Miss Universe title. She said she hoped that she made South Africa proud.
“I would like to congratulate Sheynnis and wish her well throughout her reign… I hope that, even though I didn’t get a placing, I did South Africa proud. It is an experience that I will never forget.
“The support has been overwhelming, and I so appreciate it. I look forward to returning to South Africa and continuing my advocacy drive, Her Way Out.”
Stephanie Weil, CEO of the Miss South Africa Organisation said they are incredibly proud of Bryoni and how she represented the country.
“She truly shone. Miss Universe has already acknowledged her for her incredible campaign, and we look forward to continue rolling it out in South Africa on her return.”
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The newly crowned Miss Universe is a mental health activist and audiovisual producer from Managua, Nicaragua.
According to the Miss Universe organisation, Sheynnis’ cause this year will be mental health, which stems from her own experiences with anxiety.
The 23-year-old has an initiative called Understand Your Mind, in which she interviews specialists on emotional care in her television segments.
Sheynnis dedicates her spare time to rescuing cats and dogs and enjoying mental games and puzzles.
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