Miss Fajardo is Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2022

Ashley Ann Cariño was crowned Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2022 at the end of the 66th edition of the national pageant, held on August 11, 2022, at the Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré, also known as Bellas Artes de Santurce in San Juan. The 27-year-old Miss Fajardo bested 27 other candidates to succeed last year’s winner Michelle Colón of Loíza. She start immediatly her preparations to represent Puerto Rico at the 71st edition of Miss Universe pageant later this year.

“A woman is empowered by believing in her and saying that you are there for her. Believing in you and what you have to offer. There is no one who has your story and that is important. Persevere with who you are because you are going to destroy the universe”, was the answer the new sovereign gave in the final stages of the contest.

The newly crowned Miss Universe Puerto Rico is an aerospace engineering student at the University of Central Florida. Her passion for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) led her to develop a mentoring program to introduce girls in elementary, intermediate, and higher grades to these branches of knowledge through educational opportunities of STEM immersion. Aside from her educational background in engineering, Ashley is also a licensed psychosocial therapist and is currently employed part-time at Insight Behavioral Health Specialists where she works mostly with the child population. As a short-term professional goal, she aspires to be able to work as a specialist in the commercial space travel industry and she dreams of being the first Miss Universe Puerto Rico to set foot on the moon.

The beauty pageant world is no stranger to pageantry, as last year she was the second runner-up at Miss USA, where she represented the state of Florida.