Miss Universe 2011‏

The beautiful Leila Lopes says she plans to focus on combating HIV around the globe. The 25-year-old from Angola was crowned Miss Universe 2011 Monday night during a pageant held in Sao Paulo, Brazil. “I’ve worked with various social causes. I work with poor kids, I work in the fight against HIV. I work to protect the elderly and I have to do everything that my country needs,” she said. “I think now as Miss Universe I will be able to do much more.”

Leila won against 88 other competitors and she is one of the few blacks ever crowned Miss Universe. “Thank God I’m very satisfied with the way God created me and I wouldn’t change a thing,” Lopes said when she was asked about whether she would change anything about her physical self. “I consider myself a woman endowed with inner beauty. I have acquired many wonderful principles from my family and I intend to follow these for the rest of my life.”

Lopes won over the audience, speaking in the shared language of Portuguese. Angola, like Brazil, is a former Portuguese colony. “She captivated the crowd and we were all behind her,” said Brazilian Natalie Bursztyn, 20, who was in the crowd inside Credicard Hall where the event took place. “It was great that the judges also saw what the fans saw and gave her the crown. Her dress was beautiful and she knew exactly what to say”. Leila proved that her outer beauty was not all she had to offer, but also her principles to fight against poverty and HIV.