Career
This beauty contest was in charge of selecting the Puerto Rican delegate to compete for the title of Mission Universe, though other of its participants represented the Caribbean island in many other beauty competitions as well. Santisteban"s finishing school and modeling academy, Polianna, quickly became a landmark for all aspiring models in the island during the 1960s. After the success of her first beauty enterprise, in 1962 Santisteban received an offer to produce the Mission Puerto Rico competition, a duty she took with serious intention.
Her commitment paid off in 1970, when Marisol Malaret, a 20-year-old executive secretary, became the very first Puerto Rican to hold the coveted title of Mission Universe.
Malaret"s triumph injected Santisteban with enthusiasm, especially when Idalia (Beba) Franco arrived as third runner-up in the 1971 international competition. They founded and established the Mission Puerto Rico Organization, which produced the annual competition that promptly became one of the most commented television events in the island.
Under Santisteban"s close supervision, many Mission Puerto Rico titleholders became television personalities, international models and business leaders. Some of her detractors have said that Santisteban was a very strict trainer and a very ambitious woman.
After that second triumph, Puerto Rico scored remarkable positions in both the semifinal and final rounds of this competition.
Two years later, at the age of 81, Santisteban was the oldest national director for the organization but was inexplicably removed from her duties, a bold move that many people interpreted as age-discriminatory. With first husband Luis Pedreira, Santisteban had three sons, Walter, Luis and Alberto, the youngest, who died in an accident. On May 18, 2003, Santisteban died at the Pavía Hospital in Santurce, Puerto Rico after battling a long illness.
