Zuleyka Jerrís Rivera Mendoza (born October 3, 1987) is a Puerto Rican actress, TV host, dancer, model, and beauty queen who won Miss Universe 2006 in Los Angeles.

Prior to winning the Miss Puerto Rico title, she first won the local pageant for her hometown of Salinas.

Only eighteen years of age when she was crowned Miss Universe, Rivera is one of the youngest women to win the title.

Rivera is the second woman with noticeably mixed features to win Miss Puerto Rico Universe after Alba Reyes in 2004.

Rivera represented Puerto Rico in the Miss Universe 2006 which was televised live internationally from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on 23 July 2006.

After competing in swimsuit, evening gown and interview, she was crowned Miss Universe by outgoing titleholder Natalie Glebova of Canada.

The incident was reportedly attributed to heat exhaustion (from the stage lights) coupled with the weight of the heavy, chained dress she was wearing.

[2] Rivera was the fifth Puerto Rican to win the title,[3] which makes the island the third most successful entity in the pageant (behind the United States and Venezuela).

Rivera's win came only five years after Denise Quiñones, the most recent winner from Puerto Rico, won the crown.

From the end of July until early August, Zuleyka traveled to Japan where she presented the Five Star Diamond Award to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Tokyo.

As of April 2007, Zuleyka has traveled to the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Russia, Spain, Turkey, Greece, Kazakhstan, India, Mexico, Thailand, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Japan, and Indonesia, in addition to numerous trips around the United States.