Cuban Daylín Rodríguez is the Queen of Miami Carnival 2023

February 13, 2023

Young Cuban Daylín Rodríguez, a 17-year-old model, was crowned this past weekend as the "new queen" of Miami Carnival, after impressing the eight jury members with her charm and beauty, several news outlets reported.

According to this information, Rodríguez focused her speech in favor of immigrants and the sacrifices that must be made after leaving one's home country. The young woman narrated her personal experience and that of her parents, who left Cuba four years ago in search of a dream and a better future than what they had on the island.

"The people who have the most influence on me are my parents, both equally. They, like all immigrants, have left their country full of dreams and that is what they transmit to me every day," the Cuban assured.

Rodríguez, originally from the Isle of Youth, added that in addition to her participation in multiple beauty pageants, she also wants to study law in the U.S., inspired by her mother, Juliet Peña, who graduated in Cuba and is a certified notary in Miami.

The hosts of the pageant were Melissa Ramiz and Stephanie Torres, queens of Carnival in previous editions. Both acknowledged that this season "Miss Carnival" had stood out for "physical beauty" and "a comprehensive concept, with emphasis on personality, values and community engagement of the contestants."

In 2022, Daylin Rodríguez represented Cuba in the beauty pageant "Universal Petite 2022." The Cuban had already walked in February of that same year at New York Fashion Week.

According to Diario de las Américas, the Cuban was part of the runways of Time Square as a member of designer Fernando Wong's modeling group. In Miami, the young woman is part of the Alicia Faccio Modeling School academy.

Rodríguez arrived in the United States through the family reunification program in 2019. Before that, her parents had crossed from Ecuador to the United States seeking a better future for their children.