Trends

Meet Joheirry Mola Dominguez: Teacher, Journalist and Miss World 2026

M
Mehdi Islam Mahi

For the pageant's 73rd edition, organisers brought together 110 contestants in Nha Trang, Vietnam, and Joheirry Mola Dominguez of the Dominican Republic was crowned Miss World 2026.

The 24-year-old becomes only the second woman from the nation to win the title. The country's first Miss World crown came in 1982, when Mariasela Álvarez won the competition.

Joheirry Mola Dominguez is a graduate of Universidad Iberoamericana, where she studied Business Management and Administration. Away from pageants, she works as a Literature and Social Studies teacher and also works as a correspondent for Univision New York's Ventana a Quisqueya. She is also a professional model and the founder of Voices of Tomorrow, a project focused on children and young people from vulnerable communities. The project centres on English language education.

Mola wants to give children access to English from an early age, believing the skill can open up more educational and professional opportunities. Her work as a teacher is closely connected to the project. She already teaches Literature and Social Studies in English, giving her experience with the kind of education she wants to expand through Voices of Tomorrow.

Voices of Tomorrow was also part of her Miss World journey through “Beauty With a Purpose”, the pageant's programme that asks contestants to present a social project connected to a cause they care about.

Mola spoke about taking English programmes to children in vulnerable communities during the competition. She aimed to give them a practical skill that could benefit them long after their school years.

The Beauty With a Purpose competition featured projects from all 111 contestants this year.

Twenty-four projects reached the continental finals, while Malaysia's Taanusiya Chetty won the overall Beauty With a Purpose award.

Mola's own journey to the crown included winning the Top Model challenge for the Americas and Caribbean, which secured her place in the Top 40. She eventually made it through the later rounds and took the Miss World crown, giving the Dominican Republic its second title in the history of the competition.