Andrea Meza, 26, is the third Miss Universe from Mexico. She is from Chihuahua City, Mexico and she works as a software engineer and a model.

Representing Mexico, Lupita Jones, 53, and Ximena Navarrete, 33, were crowned Miss Universe in 1991 and in 2010, respectively. The country has been participating in the international beauty pageant since it started in 1952.

Meza was crowned Miss Universe 2020 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Broward County, Florida, United States on May 16, 2021. She defeated 73 other candidates.

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It is the 69th edition of the competition. Mario Lopez, 47, and Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo, 28, hosted the coronation night. 

In the question-and-answer portion, two of the five finalists were given a question related to the ongoing new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. She was asked, “If you were the leader of your country, how would you have handled the COVID-19 pandemic?”

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“I believe there is no perfect way to handle this hard situation such as COVID-19 but I believe what I would have done is to create the lockdown even before everything was that big, because we lost so many lives and we cannot afford that,” Meza answered. “We have to take care of our people, that’s why I would’ve taken care of them since the beginning.”

After the question-and-answer portion, the five finalists were asked to pick a card with a topic and discuss it in 30 seconds. Her topic was changing beauty standards.

“We live in a society that more and more is more in advanced and as we advanced as a society we’ve also advanced with stereotypes,” Meza sad in Spanish, which was translated to English by a translator. “Nowadays, beauty isn’t only the way we look. For me, beauty radiates not only in our spirit but in our hearts and the way that we conduct ourselves. Never permit someone to tell you you are not valuable.”

The Philippines was represented at Miss Universe 2001 by Zorayda Ruth Andam of Baguio City, Philippines. She was unplaced but she was runner-up to the Best in National Costume award.

Andam also represented the Philippines at Miss Tourism World 2001. She finished in the Top 15 and was crowned Miss Tourism World-Asia 2001.