Claudia Elena Schiess Fretz, born November 26, 1989, is an ecuadorian beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Ecuador 2011 and will represent her country in the 2011 Miss Universe pageant. Born to an Ecuadorian mother and a Swiss father, Schiess is pursuing a bachelor\'s degree in business engineering at Universidad Del Pacifico and speaks Spanish, English, German and Swiss German. Schiess is also a professional make-up artist. She enjoys dancing, music, theater and studied modern dance for six years in the Galápagos. Schiess, who stands 1.72 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in) tall, competed as the representative of Galápagos, one of 19 finalists in her country\'s national beauty pageant, Miss Ecuador 2011, broadcast live on March 17, 2011 from Santo Domingo, where she obtained the Best Figure, Best Face and Best Hair awards and became the eventual winner of the title, gaining the right to represent Ecuador in Miss Universe 2011.
As the official representative of her country to the 2011 Miss Universe pageant, broadcast live from São Paulo, Brazil on September 12, 2011, Schiess will vie to succeed current Miss Universe titleholder, Ximena Navarrete of Mexico.