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(Pictures from
Isaías Cisneros - El Siglo Digital)
Stephanie De Roux (Miss Panama 2003)
& Justine Pasek (Miss Universe 2002) will welcome the
other 70 countries for Miss Universe, on May 2003.
Señorita Panamá 2002 took place on Thursday, September 5, 2002
at the Vasco Núñez de Balboa Convention Center, located at
Hotel Panama. The entertainment included: Ballet
Folklórico Prof. Elisa de Céspedes, singer Carlos Ponce and
Ravanes as special guests.
Who Are The Responsible For
This:
(Cortesy of María Mercedes de Corró)
Nikki Ortega de Roy. It is very difficult to believe that someone in
Panama has not heard before of Nikki de Roy, but for those who
haven’t heard from her, we want to clarify that she is the one
who had prepared for the last 18 years, all our Miss Panama
contestants for Miss Universe, which will take place next year
in Panama City, Panama. She is the creative talent behind many
artistic productions, including theater and fashion
shows.
Nikki describes herself as a person with a
modern-classic taste, a lover of privacy, a hard worker
dedicated in first place to "create". She just not only
figures out how to get things done for the contestants but
also intercedes for each of them, takes them by their hands
and guides them in this experience. The way she works is not
only professional but she goes beyond that with no
limitations.
She says: "I own a model agency for the last 17
years and I am an expert in "Color me Beautiful", a system
that associates in each woman, the four seasons with their
natural image. She is also a founder member and President of
Fanlic (Foundation of friends for Children with Leukemia and
Cancer).
A
regular day for her starts with an exercise session at home
and does not ends until she finishes her work with misses and
models. She classifies two differences groups: "the model" is
a person with a clean and natural face who turns into the one
that we see on the passarela; and a "miss" is a young lady who
must be perfect since she wakes up until she falls to sleep. A
"miss" is the prototype of the ideal woman.
Nikki de Roy has Marie Claire de Bueno, as her business partner in Physical
Agency. Marie Claire is "an open-minded and avant-garde
person". Together, they have accomplished to enhance the image
of the Panamanian professional models and have made possible
for the models to get paid accordingly. "This is not an easy
task", says Nikki. "When I was a model, I got paid with
clothing from the store that I modeled for. Marie Claire
changed everything; when she arrived to Panama, she became a
top model and got to be compensated for her work". This
is what has kept me in this business, but the salary and the
opportunities are limited, therefore our models get prepared
to work outside of Panama when the opportunity
comes.
Nikki recognizes that: "it’s not easy to be a
model, you have to maintain your weight, your skin must be
perfect, you must be willing to get up as early as 4 a.m. for
a photo session. At an international level, there is
absolute freedom, therefore, the model who goes out of Panama
must have will power and strong moral values to avoid to be
swallowed in that world".
Year 2002 has been a year of great harvest for
Nikki de Roy, who by the way loves a good wine, but just for
the weekends. One of her girls,
Justine Pasek,
was crowned First runner-up in Miss Universe 2002. Nikki says
about Justine: "She joined Physical at age 16 to participate
in Chica Modelo, and that year
Yamani Saied won
the contest. She stayed in our agency and took care of
different productions and modeled professionally national and
internationally. Justine worked very much from inside, a
system that Nikki emphasizes very much. Her triumph is a
result of many years of dedication, compromise,
professionalism and love; it involves many people and
businesses, mainly RPC TV, without their investment in this
production, we wouldn’t accomplished anything", says Nikki.
The technical team of Miss Panama is very
professional. Its Executive Producer is Kareen de Farías, she is tireless, organized and gets optimum
results due to her unconditional compromise. Catya Vargas,
from Medcom, has contributed greatly in making possible for
Miss Panamá to become what it is now".
History of Miss Panama in Miss
Universe. (Cortesy of Concursos
Zulianos).
Justine was destined to wear the Miss Universe
crown from the beginning. It looks like the universe by
itself wanted to change her future, it took gfew months but
finally, she became Miss Universe after the Russian
participant was fired for not been able to fulfill her
responsibilities as Miss Universe 2002. Panamá has been
showing its potential since some years ago, and in that way,
getting interested to many of its followers and getting good
expectations from experts and specialist in beauty, it has
started to occupy places like other great potencies in
beauty.
The year 2003, Miss Universe will take place in
the same country where Barbara Palacios became Miss Universe
in 1986; we do not doubt that its representative,
Stephany De Roux, will attract the attention from the whole
world, as our reigning Miss Universe,
Justine Pasek,
and you never know, Panama could be the second country other
than USA & Puerto Rico to crown its beauty queen...
Despite of not having many final classifications
in Miss Universe, the times in which Panama has been among the
semifinalists, it has left a good image and every year is
achieving positions closer to the winner…
Panama's
Achievements in Miss Universe
|
2004 |
Jessica Rodriguez |
Best Costume |
|
2003 |
Stephanie De Roux |
Second Best Costume |
|
2002 |
Justine Pasek |
Miss Universe |
|
1997 |
Lía Victoria Borrero |
Finalist |
|
1986 |
Gilda García |
Best Costume |
|
1980 |
Gloria Karamanites |
Semi Finalist |
|
1974 |
Jasmine Panay |
Semi Finalist |
|
1954 |
Liliana Torre |
Semi Finalist |
|
1953 |
Emita Arosemena |
Semi Finalist |
In
1953, Emita Arosemena
Zubieta started a short history
of classifications for Panamá, she was a Semifinalist where
the winner was the French Christine Magnani (Martel), becoming
in the first Central American country to classify in this
prestigious contest. Panamá has classified in 6 out of 36
opportunities, from 1952 until 2002. The year 2002 is the
50th anniversary for Miss Panama
Contest.
In
1954, Liliana Torre gets again for Panamá one classification among
the semifinalists, where the American Miriam Stevenson was
crowned as the winner, these two classifications have been
consecutive for Panama.
From 1954 until 1974, Panamá didn’t get to
classify in Miss Universe, but meanwhile in 1957, Panama sent
a representative to the First Continental Beauty Contest of
the Coffee in Manizales, winning the crown
Analida Alfaro Estripeau.
In
1974, in Manila, Philippines, again Panama wins the
heart of the whole Universe when for third time classifies
among the Semifinalists, in this occasion is the beautiful Jasmine Nereida
Panay who participates for
Panama in Miss Universe, where the Spanish Amparo Muñoz is the
winner. Jasmine spoke in perfect English and expressed her
wish to travel and meet many people if she would win the
contest.
In
1980, after 6 years, the beautiful Panamanian brown
skin and green eyes, Gloria
Karamanites Davis gets the
fourth classification for Panama, getting a position #11,
where the winner was the American Shawn Weatherly.
 
After Gloria’s classification, it took 17 years
for Panama to classify again in Miss Universe; but Panama gets
the crown in the 1987 Miss Asian with
Cilinia Prada and
in 1989, Gloria
Quintana gets the crown of
Miss Hispanidad.
In
1997, a beautiful 20 year old, student of Finance
participates in Miss Universe, her name, Lia Victoria Borrero, Panamanian that without any doubt will stay in
the memory of every Panamanian and in the whole world; until
that time, Lía was the only contestant from Panama getting the
place #6 among the finalists, where the winner was the
American (Hawaiian) Brook Mahealani Lee. Lía after this
contest participated in Miss International getting the crown
and giving to her country one of the three greatest titles of
beauty. As a curious data, India was the Second Runner-up and
Venezuela the First Runner-up. In that occasion Lía said: "I
know Panama is going to be very happy for this", and with no
doubt it did, and always will.
That same year (1998), Tanisha Drummond got the crown of Miss Caribe Hibiscus and Priscila Lewis is the First Runner-up in Miss Asia
Pacific.
Although they didn’t classified in Miss
Universe, we want to emphasize that
Yamani Saied (1999) and
Analia Nuñez (2000) were the greatest favorites of the press
and specialists. Yamani occupied the place #20 and Analia got
place #13.
In 2000, Panamá gets the First Runner-up
position in Miss Asian Pacific with Marianela Salazar
Guillén.
But it was not until 2002, when Panama gets to see
one of its representatives at just one step from the crown of
Miss Universe. Justine Pasek who not been one of the
favorites of the specialists, except for the well known
magazine
www.globalbeauties.com, gets to conquer
the whole universe with her figure, grace, and her natural and
fresh participation, leaving the idea that probably the next
Panamanian could classify as Miss Universe.
On
Sep. 23, 2002, Justine becomes the new Miss Universe 2002 due
to the disqualification of the Russian. For sure, the
year 2003 for Panama, beside been the country hosting, it will
be with no doubt, one of the greatest year for this beautiful
Central American country, which has a Miss Universe and host
the Miss Universe 2003 Contest.
 
http://www.physicalmodelos.com/
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