Sheynnis Palacios had to fight against her inner demons before becoming the Miss Universe 2023, a social communication graduate and mental health advocate. In the past, she struggled with anxiety and opened up about her struggles in the days leading up to the beauty pageant held in El Salvador. Despite thinking she had already overcome the problem, she suffered another anxiety attack backstage during the event. However, she used this experience to help others overcome their problems through her project ‘Entiende tu mente’ (Understand your mind) and collaborations with Nicaraguan television program ‘Al Día’.

Sheynnis Palacios’ triumph was dedicated to girls all over the world, her inner child, family, and more than 6 million inhabitants of her country. She hopes that her achievement will bring great changes for women and girls who are essential to society’s foundation. Through her personal experience with anxiety, she learned to manage emotions and channeled that suffering into helping others. It is inspiring how she turned a negative experience into a positive one by using it for good.