With a crown on her head and diploma in hand, Juliette Valle (University of Miami Class of 2023) represented Florida in the Miss America pageant in January, placing in the Top 10. She’s especially proud of her response in the Q&A round.
“I had a dream of becoming the first Hispanic Miss America,” says the Plantation native, whose father is from Lima, Peru. “I talked about wanting to empower women of all backgrounds, ethnicities [and] races. I said diversity, equity and inclusion is paramount and representation matters.”
It’s a dream Valle has been chasing since the age of 14. She was named 2016 Miss Broward County Teen and 2017 Miss Fort Lauderdale Teen. While in college, she won Miss South Florida Fair, followed by Miss Miami and finally Miss Orlando, each time earning a spot in the state competition. The third time was the charm and Valle won Miss Florida in June 2023.
Valle has made appearances statewide at speaking engagements, performing with the South Florida Symphony Orchestra and Florida Grand Opera and supporting organizations such as Best Buddies, Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and American Heart Association.
Valle, whose 23rd birthday is June 12, is committed to chronic kidney disease prevention. The daughter of a nephrologist and transplant nurse, she can often be found making rounds alongside her father at Holy Cross Health in Fort Lauderdale.
“I’m there to learn because it is hard to have a platform that is medically related when you’re not a medical expert,” she says. “I always want to make sure that the facts I’m saying are accurate.” The trained opera singer released a Christmas album called “Joyfully Juliette” in December 2022 to raise money for The National Kidney Foundation of Florida and Donate Life America. It features unique arrangements of 10 holiday classics sung in a variety of genres. Valle brought her vocal talent to the Miss America stage, singing “Sempre Libera” from the Italian opera “La Traviata” by Verdi.
Valle has both brains and beauty. She’s enrolled in online history and politics courses through Harvard Kennedy School and plans to attend law school in August. The theme park fanatic aspires to be an in-house attorney for Walt Disney World Resort or pursue a career in political broadcasting.