Clara Vegas Goetz’s road to Miss Universe includes a remarkable transformation, her mother’s advice and Venezuela’s support

Honestly, being Miss Venezuela in a year like this has been an enormous source of pride, and I believe it has been a blessing from God. As Venezuelans, we have gone through very difficult moments, including the two earthquakes on June 24.

But I know God put me on this path for a reason: to help my people and my country wherever and whenever I can, and to use my platform to bring visibility to all the initiatives and organizations helping those who continue to suffer. We know there is still a long road ahead.

I’m grateful to the Miss Universe Venezuela organization and for the work I’m doing with my family to continue raising awareness about what is needed to rebuild La Guaira and help families move forward.

It has been incredibly difficult. Seeing it up close is horrible. There really isn’t a nicer way to say it because nothing prepares you for a situation like that. I feel very fortunate that my own home there is still standing.

I’m also grateful that I had the opportunity to work alongside so many national and international teams that came to La Guaira to help. I worked closely with World Central Kitchen, whose mission was to provide hot meals to people who had lost their homes, and that was incredibly inspiring.

I’ve also worked with Caritas Venezuela and Samaritan’s Purse, as well as Venezuelan NGOs such as Fundaprocura and Aprendiendo a Querer. Seeing so many of these initiatives up close has been deeply moving. Being able to lend a hand, or simply use social media to give their work greater visibility, has been one of my most important responsibilities. It’s something I plan to continue doing even after the competition.

I didn’t think twice about putting my Miss Universe preparation on the back burner. For about a month and a half, maybe two months, I devoted all my time and energy to helping in any way I could.

Now I’m slowly returning to my preparation because the competition is approaching. We’re about two months away, and I’m also focused on bringing home that happiness, something to celebrate that I think we deserve this year.

My heart is definitely still in La Guaira and with everyone who is suffering. Helping there remains a priority for me.

But at the same time, I know that a victory, bringing home an eighth crown, could offer a little hope and happiness to my fellow Venezuelans. I think that matters, too.

Videos on social media have documented your physical transformation. How would you describe that transformation and the support you’ve received from people?

I think I’ve always been very confident in myself. Even back then, I felt beautiful and capable. I think that confidence is part of what allowed me to evolve.

I’ve also been very open about my transformation and about this journey, which has been extremely challenging. But I’m 100 percent dedicated and committed to bringing that crown home.

I carry the love and support of an entire country with me, and that’s what will accompany me every step of the way in Puerto Rico.

I know that a victory, like bringing home an eighth crown, could offer some joy or hope and perhaps bring happiness to my fellow Venezuelans. I think that matters, too.

The story is actually pretty spontaneous. I went to Venezuela for two weeks for my sister’s graduation, and after a TikTok video was posted, people started commenting that I should enter the competition.

I was living in London, and my original plan wasn’t to return to Venezuela. But when I realized it was now or never if I wanted to compete, I decided to take the opportunity and said to myself, “This is going to be mine. I’m going to work for it.”

Thank God, I was blessed with the opportunity to become Miss Universe Venezuela because I truly believe this is exactly where I’m supposed to be. And, of course, it revived a childhood dream that had always stayed with me.

It isn’t easy to step outside your comfort zone or abandon the plans you had for your life.

Definitely. Although I also think I might not have fully known what I was getting myself into when I entered.

But I think that courage and strength also come from being an adventurous woman. I’ve always been willing to challenge myself and work toward becoming the best version of myself every day because that’s part of living.

I carry the love and support of an entire country with me, and that’s what will accompany me every step of the way in Puerto Rico.

When I was little, I used to play with her Miss Venezuela sash. My friends and I would try on the dresses she wore at Miss Universe, and that really sparked a dream in me that I’m now living.

It has been an experience I can’t even put into words. It has been wonderful. But at the same time, my mother has always been my mother first and foremost. I never really saw her as a beauty queen. Well, obviously she’s the queen mother!

I feel incredibly fortunate to have someone by my side who understands exactly what I’m experiencing. And I’m endlessly grateful that she has also given me the space to make this journey my own.

The best advice she has given me is to develop “crocodile skin.” She told me very early on, “Be prepared, because everyone is going to have an opinion about everything you say, everything you do and everything you wear.”

That advice has stayed with me every step of the way. It has made me a much stronger, more resilient woman and better able to face any challenge or anyone else’s opinion.

I’ve never been more confident in who I am and what I’m capable of achieving.

Models and beauty queens follow such a structured preparation process.

Discipline means being 100 percent committed. There’s no other way to describe it.

I believe that when you want something badly enough, you’re capable of achieving it and putting your entire self into reaching that goal.