Isabella Toledo was crowned Miss Teen Global 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on May 14 after competing against 20 other contestants.
Toledo’s victory marked the second consecutive year that someone representing Cuba won the international pageant.
“I believe in my talent, and I know what I’m bringing to the stage,” said Toledo, who was 19 when she won. “I proved to everybody that it was not impossible.”
The 20-year-old, who is of Cuban origin, earned an associate degree in business administration from Miami Dade College this spring. She originally took classes at Hialeah Campus before completing her studies online.
Toledo plans to transfer to Florida International University to study psychology. She aspires to be an occupational therapist for children.
“I’ve always been the person that you will find in the middle of a party with all the kids,” Toledo said. “I love children. They are just something that I connect with very well.”
The beauty queen began her pageant career at seven after her mother and aunt heard an advertisement on the radio about a contest.
“They told me [I was] meant for this world, and I won, and after that, all the doors just kept opening, new opportunities, new pageants kept coming up,” Toledo said. “So I started competing in a bunch of different ones, whether they were Hispanic pageants or even American pageants as well.”
As Toledo grew older, the competitions became more demanding. Teenage contestants are expected to master runway technique, public speaking and on-stage interviews while also showing judges how they support their community and the people around them.
“It’s definitely not about just being pretty and who can walk the best,” Toledo said. “It’s about having personality.”
She started representing Cuba after winning the Miss Teen Cuba title in Miami on January 27.
Toledo was originally scheduled to compete in another international contest later in the year, but a change in plans sent her to Miss Teen Global with only three months to prepare.
Anthony “Abdiel” Gomez, who serves as the director of the Miss Teen Cuba contest, followed Toledo’s career for more than a year before recruiting her to run.
The 34-year-old traveled to Malaysia with Toledo, overseeing her as she worked with her coach Sofia Acosta to prepare for the two-week competition.
“She is very prepared, dedicated and responsible,” Gomez said. “She has everything.”
More than 20 contestants competed in MIss Teen Global 2026, representing countries such as Venezuela, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Spain.
Toledo faced immense pressure during the competition—last year, the winner of Miss Teen Global was Naisha Nardo who also represented Cuba.
“They always say that in the modeling industry it is very hard to win back to back, meaning the same country wins twice in a row,” Toledo said. “That was the one question that I kept getting every time that I was over there.”
Toledo will spend the next year traveling, attending events, creating content and participating in community service projects.
“I’m using my title not only as a crown and a sash, but more as a statement, and to use my voice to be able to help younger girls,” Toledo said.
One of the interviews for this story was conducted in Spanish.
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