Valeria Rees appointed Miss Universe Costa Rica 2021

Valeria Rees was appointed as Miss Costa Rica 2021 (or Miss Universe Costa Rica 2021) by the Miss Costa Rica Organization. The announcement was made on Teletica. She succeeds Miss Costa Rica 2020 Ivonne Cerdas and earned the right to represent her country at the upcoming Miss Universe pageant, in Eilat, Israel.

This appointment came out as a result of the Miss Universe Organization allowing national organizations to designate their candidates this year without contests, due to the effects of pandemic as well as the short time between the 2020 and 2021 editions. The organization reported, “After a rigorous evaluation and for her excellence in the participation of the previous contest, in which she achieved the position of first finalist, it is that today Miss Valeria Rees is awarded the title of Miss Costa Rica 2021.”

The 28 year-old beauty queen is a law student and has extensive experience in Costa Rican modeling.

She is not newbie to pageantry, she participated in Repretel’s Battle of Talents, was the vice-queen of Miss Mundo Costa Rica 2019 and one of the candidates for Miss Costa Rica 2020, where she was the first runner-up.

Previously in an interview, she spoke about her stage with anorexia and how that experience of more than five years ago prompted her to create a foundation that seeks to help other people suffering from eating disorders. She also created a foundation to support people with eating disorders, called Open Cage Foundation.

Talking about her foundation she said, “I had been thinking about the foundation because normally in competitions they ask us to develop a project that is of social assistance. I always thought that you have to do something out of passion and not just out of commitment. I wanted to give something back to society but based on what I believe. I wanted to share my experience, the knowledge that I have learned in this time and of course, have the support of professionals.”