Four other women competed against Guaman for the honor of representing their community in Connecticut. Noelia Cabezas of Waterbury won the title of Miss Culture as the runner-up.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegardless of whatever the outcome may have been, everyone is a winner. This crown does not define me,\u201d Guaman said. \u201cWhat defines you is the person you are, the voice that you use behind that platform that you’re going to work with.\u201d<\/p>\n
Guaman said she wants to use her new platform to help break down the stigma Latino communities have around mental health.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Latinos] always say\u2026 \u2018That doesn’t exist,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cFor me, as someone that’s diagnosed with ADHD, depression, and anxiety, I’m a student, as a social worker, and I’m trying to find resources for the Hispanic community to know, \u2018Hey, this does exist.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
When Guaman won Miss Danbury back in 2021, she worked at a women\u2019s center, providing resources for the community.<\/p>\n
Now with her new crown, Guaman said she is working to launch a new project called \u201cFuerza in Silencio\u201d or \u201cStrength in Silence\u201d to help Latinos struggling with mental health and domestic violence to find resources and their inner strength.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m going to be very happy to raise my voice for the Ecuadorian people,\u201d Guaman said, \u201cnot just them, for all of my women that are Hispanic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Empowering Ecuadorians in CT<\/p>\n
Fernando Cerde\u00f1a watched the pageant at the back of the audience, the first big event that the Association of Ecuadorians in Connecticut hosted after being founded in January of this year. Cerde\u00f1a is the vice president of the association.<\/p>\n
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Daniela Doncel<\/p>\n
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Connecticut Public<\/p>\n
Katy Guaman (left), Emily Paredes (center), and Noelia Cabezas (right) are standing on stage as the three finalists of the pageant. This is the first pageant that the Association of Ecuadorians of Connecticut put on, and the first big event of their inaugural year as an organization. They held it on the evening of May 29, 2026 at the Waterbury Marriott Hotel.<\/p>\n
Though pageants are often associated with beauty, Cerde\u00f1a said the association had a different mission in mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we want is for the queen to truly understand what it means to be Ecuadorian\u2014not just by birth or having Ecuadorian parents, but by having a genuine connection to that identity,\u201d Cerde\u00f1a said.<\/p>\n
To achieve this, Cerde\u00f1a said the queen is expected to help the association empower the community through a project of her choice over the next year. Only then will she receive her final reward for winning the pageant: a new car.<\/p>\n
The runner-up, Miss Culture, will also get a chance to connect with her culture with a paid week-long trip to Ecuador.<\/p>\n
Cerde\u00f1a said the pageant was also an effort to lift these women up as members of the Ecuadorian community in Connecticut.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal is for them to become empowered: the mere act of stepping forward\u2014learning how to walk, speak, move, make eye contact, and study\u2014has involved a huge effort,\u201d Cerde\u00f1a said, not just of the girls but of pageant director Jenny Cueva.<\/p>\n
The association is hosting two more big events later in the summer, Cerde\u00f1a said. The Gala Dinner is being held August 1 at the Waterbury Marriott Hotel and the Ecuadorian Parade and Festival on August 8 in Waterbury.<\/p>\n
Proud parents, win or lose<\/p>\n
Edgar Paredes arrived at the pageant wearing a yellow t-shirt that had his daughter\u2019s face on it. Underneath her portrait, it read, \u201cEmily Paredes, Representative of Pastaza.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paredes said he was thrilled to be attending the pageant because of how it united his local Ecuadorian community.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been here for 10 years and there\u2019s never been anything like this before,\u201d Paredes said. \u201cGod willing, everything goes well and this tradition continues.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Daniela Doncel <\/p>\n
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Connecticut Public<\/p>\n
Edgar Paredes is cheering for his daughter, Emily Paredes, one of the candidates in the pageant. He came to the event at the Waterbury Marriott Hotel on May 29, 2026 wearing a custom shirt that a family member had made in Ecuador. “I hope that the unity of our community is forged tonight,” he said before the pageant started.<\/p>\n
Despite supporting his daughter, Paredes said he was happy to see the rightful queen crowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want my daughter to win just because she\u2019s my daughter,\u201d Paredes said. \u201cNo, no, no, let the one who deserves it win.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the coronation, Rosa Pati\u00f1o waited for her daughter Guaman to finish taking photos with audience members, so she could give her a hug.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay she move forward with God\u2019s guidance,\u201d Pati\u00f1o said of her daughter. \u201cMay she succeed and help other girls. My girl is an example for the other girls coming up behind her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Learn more<\/p>\n
For updates on future events from the Association of Ecuadorians in Connecticut, visit their Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a> pages.<\/p>\n Follow Katy Guaman on Instagram<\/a> for the latest on her projects and pageantry.<\/p>\n