the organization for not fulfilling the duties stipulated in her contract. After traveling to New York City for a modeling assignment, she was notified of these events in the back of a limousine, becoming the first Panamanian Miss Universe. Pasek was formally crowned Miss Universe 2002 by then pageant co-owner Donald Trump in New York City, and a busy week of press engagements followed. Pasek also received an elaborate Mikimoto Crown worth $250,000 as well as an extensive prize package. As Miss Universe, Pasek represented the Miss Universe Organization. Her "sister" 2002 titleholders were Vanessa Semrow (Miss Teen USA, of Wisconsin ) and Shauntay Hinton (Miss USA, (District of Columbia). A self-described "citizen of the world", Pasek has since traveled to Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Egypt, Aruba, Ecuador, Peru, Cuba, Canada, Mexico, and the United States. She championed the cause of HIV/AIDS and established the first HIV/AIDS prevention center in her country. As part of her year-long reign as Miss Universe, she lived in New York City in a riverside apartment provided by the Miss Universe Organization. She worked with the Global Health Council, the Harvard AIDS Institute, AmFAR, and the Centers for Disease Control's "Act Now" campaign. Pasek relinquished her crown to Dominican Republic's Amelia Vega in the 2003 competition, held in Panama. Having worked as a model since 1996, Pasek has since modeled for Christian Dior, among other fashion campaigns. In 2016, Pasek was co-owner of the Señorita Panamá Foundation and the new national director of Miss Universe. In 2017, she resigned to focus on taking care of her family. In 2022, she opposed the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Notes References External links 1979 births Living people Miss Universe 2002 contestants Miss Universe winners Panamanian beauty pageant winners Panamanian female models Panamanian people of Polish descent People from Kharkiv People from Panama City People from Tomaszów Lubelski County Polish emigrants to Panama Señorita Panamá