Bianty Rojer, Miss Universe Curaçao 2026, turns her other’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis into a mission

The preparations are going incredibly well. It really is a marathon. There are days when I feel a little tired, but that’s part of the process. We’re human, and we also need time to recharge so we can keep going.

For me, this is a responsibility. I see it almost like applying for a job because, at the end of the day, I’m representing Curaçao. I’m going there to earn that job and have the opportunity to represent on a global stage.

The biggest challenge has been spending so much time away from my family. I’m extremely close to them, especially my grandmother, my aunts and uncles, and my cousins.

I’m traveling around the world, and I’m incredibly grateful for that opportunity, but I also miss being home. Even from a distance, I know my family is sending me their energy and supporting me.

Everything is going well because I already knew the sacrifices I would have to make. This isn’t my first time competing. In 2023, I competed in Miss Universe Curaçao and finished as first runner-up. I also competed in Reina Hispanoamericana, where I placed third runner-up.

I’ve learned not to be so hard on myself because you’re going to make mistakes. That’s part of being human.

I also know that I’ve grown tremendously when it comes to communication. I have four languages in my head, and sometimes I can’t find the exact word I’m looking for in the language I’m speaking at that moment.

Before, I would get disappointed in myself. I was very critical and would tell myself that I shouldn’t have said something a certain way. But at the end of the day, people still understood the idea and the message I wanted to communicate. That’s what matters.

Yes. Perseverance, in the sense that I never gave up, but also because I’m the daughter of a mother who has Alzheimer’s.

I didn’t allow that experience or that period of my life to define me. But in a way, it did define me. It shaped me and helped me become a resilient person with conviction.

I know that I have a purpose that goes far beyond the crown because eventually, you have to hand the crown over to someone else. But when you leave a mark on someone’s heart, that can stay with them forever.

That’s what I want to do within the caregiver community. I’m a caregiver myself. I know what it means to feel alone even when you’re not actually alone. Sometimes our minds can be our worst enemies and convince us that we have no one.

I want to be that friend who reminds caregivers that they are not alone. You can ask for help. You can ask questions when you don’t know what to do.

We are all connected, and I can assure people that there is someone around them who is ready to help. Sometimes, you just have to raise your hand and ask.

For me, it isn’t one specific moment. It’s the entire experience.

Every time I give a speech, every time I speak about this and connect with people who have been through something similar, it means something to me.

It’s not only about caring for someone with Alzheimer’s. It’s about the entire caregiving community, including nurses and doctors.

It’s normal to feel exhausted. It’s normal to feel like you can’t keep going. Sometimes you wake up and simply don’t want to do it that day. That is completely human. We need to recharge. We deserve to have days or moments when we can breathe.

The most beautiful moments for me happen when people approach me after a speech, or even when they see me on the street, and tell me that I inspired them to give themselves permission to rest.

I’ve been through it too. Being that bridge between someone who feels alone and the help they need, or helping someone who no longer knows what to do and asks me how they can keep going, makes the entire experience meaningful to me.

Teaching is something I love. I don’t know if you believe in the six degrees of separation theory, the idea that everyone is somehow connected and eventually those connections bring people together.

For me, the way I became a teacher was completely random. I was at the supermarket when my former principal asked my husband and me whether we wanted to work as teachers.

At the time, I was caring for my mother, so I needed a job that offered a lot of flexibility. That’s how everything started.

I didn’t choose that job. That job chose me. And through it, I discovered another part of my purpose: inspiring teenagers and giving them the tools they need to believe in themselves.

For me, beauty goes far beyond what we see on the outside.

Beauty may capture someone’s attention, but what you have to say is what keeps their attention. That’s what makes people stay and listen to your message.

Beauty can open doors, but purpose gives you a reason to walk through them.

Everyone has a purpose, and that purpose is deeply personal. I also believe everyone has inner beauty. You simply have to believe that it’s there instead of constantly searching for it somewhere else.

If you believe you’re beautiful, the world will see that beauty too. So go ahead and believe you’re the most beautiful woman in the world or the most handsome man. But at the same time, ask yourself ‘what you want to contribute to the world. What is the mark you want to leave behind?’

I’m a bit of a bookworm. I absolutely love reading, and I can read for hours without stopping.

I always have my Kindle in my bag, so wherever I go, I can read anytime, anywhere.

Reading is when I can truly relax and stop thinking about everything else. I usually have so many things to do, so many responsibilities and things on my mind. But when I’m reading, I can leave all of that behind and lose myself in the fantasy world of a book.