When Stefania Fernandez left home at just 16 years old, she started entering beauty pageants. In an interview with the Miss Universe Organization, Fernandez revealed that one judge told her that she would "never make it" — but that only gave her more motivation. She continued competing and eventually made it to the 2009 Miss Universe competition. And, perhaps to that one judge's surprise, she won. After taking the crown, Fernandez partnered with an array of charities and organizations, including God's Love We Deliver, Gay Men's Health Crisis, and Latino Commission on AIDS.

In January 2019, Fernandez took to Instagram to share side-by-side photos: one from the Miss Universe competition and one a more current photo of herself. "No matter the years, the important thing is to continue working on ourselves," the star wrote, when her caption was roughly translated to English. "Recognize and find our way without hurting anyone." Fernandez continued, writing, "To me this [ten-year] challenge made me look more attentively at that 19-year-old girl and she reminded me that she was not afraid to eat the world." No, we're not crying, you're crying!