Torres was discovered at age 17 while walking through the Plaza de Toa Alta in her hometown , and was invited to represent Villalba in the annual Miss Puerto Rico pageant . She won the pageant and the right to represent Puerto Rico in the 1993 Miss Universe pageant . In 1992 , she participated in the Miss International pageant and became a semi-finalist . The same year , she earned second place at the Queen of the World contest
Miss Universe
Miss Universe 1993
Dayanara Torres