María Alejandra Salazar

Biography

María Alejandra Salazar Rojas (born August 28, 1997) is a Colombian model and beauty pageant titleholder who was selected Miss Cosmo Colombia 2024, and was supposed to represent Colombia at Miss Cosmo 2024 but withdrew at the preliminary competition. She is mainly recognized for having represented the department of Huila in Señorita Colombia 2019 and Miss Universe Colombia 2024 where in both contests she got the position of 1st Runner-Up.

== Personal life == María Alejandra Salazar was born in Neiva, Huila on August 28, 1997, although her parents are from Garzón and Gigante. She is a student of Social Communication and Journalism at the Minuto de Dios University Corporation and has a Bachelor's degree in English from the South Colombian University.

== Pageantry ==

=== Señorita Huila 2019-2020 === The Huilense made the decision to participate in the regional pageant of her department as a representative of the municipality of Garzón, where she has family roots. During the competition, she was one of the great favorites of the public and the press, which catapulted her into the Top 3 of finalists. In July 2019, Salazar was named the new queen of Huila, becoming from that moment on, a strong competitor for the title of Miss Colombia.

=== Señorita Colombia 2019-2020 ===

With growing favoritism, the young woman arrived in Cartagena at the beginning of November 2019. During the concentration, she stood out for her competitive level, which led her to be part of the Top 3 of the special Police Queen contest and, later, to win the award for Best Handmade Costume. On the night of her coronation, she managed to advance through all the cuts until she reached the Top 5, where at the end of the event, she was proclaimed Virreina Nacional de Colombia (1st Runner Up), with the queen of Quindío, María Fernanda Aristizábal, being the winner of the national title.

=== Miss International 2020-2021 === Having occupied the position of 1st Runner Up, María Alejandra would represent Colombia in the Japanese pageant, which is held year after year in the city of Tokyo. However, due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 editions of the pageant were canceled, causing Alejandra to be unable to compete in the international pageant representing her country, since for 2022 the 1st Runner Up of Miss Colombia 2021, Natalia López of Quindío was selected as the representative of the South American nation in the contest.

=== Miss Universe Colombia 2024 ===