Denise Quiñones August

Denise Quiñones August is a third year journalism student at the Public Communications School at the University of Puerto Rico. During her year-long reign as Miss Universe 2001, Denise will travel the world acting as a goodwill ambassador in the fight against HIV/AIDS. She will continue the work of her Miss Universe predecessors as she works with the Harvard AIDS Institute and the Face to Face campaign. Denise says, "By educating people about HIV/AIDS, I look forward to teaching tolerance of people with differences and doing my part to remove the stigma of HIV/AIDS." Denise will use her title to champion HIV/AIDS prevention, particularly among adolescents, and to promote the rights of women and youth to information on family planning and receiving sexual and reproductive health care and services.

"In my travels around the world, I've heard people speaking about AIDS in every language under the sun. If each one of us speaks out, we will overcome this epidemic together."

-- Denise Quiñones August

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