Entertainment TV Sofía Vergara's Golden Buzzer 'AGT' Act Leaves Her with 'Goosebumps' as Group Talks 'Dream' Moment "Sofía always represented, for us, the image of a strong, beautiful woman. And this is what Mayyas is all about: women [and] women empowerment," The Mayyas tell PEOPLE By Joelle Goldstein Joelle Goldstein Instagram Twitter Joelle Goldstein is the Staff Editor of TV for PEOPLE Digital. She has been with the brand for five years, beginning her time as a digital news writer, where she covered everything from entertainment news to crime stories and royal tours. Since then, she has worked as a writer-reporter on the Human Interest team and an associate editor on the TV team. In her current role, Joelle helps oversee all things TV, and enjoys being able to say she has to watch The Kardashians, America's Got Talent, Love Is Blind and Dancing with the Stars for her "work" responsibilities. Prior to joining PEOPLE, Joelle was employed at The Hollywood Reporter, where she was co-nominated at the 2019 GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Magazine Article for feature cover story. She graduated from Ithaca College with a Bachelor's degree in Television-Radio (and an appearance in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Final Four!) People Editorial Guidelines Published on June 22, 2022 03:23 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Sofia Vergara with The Mayyas. Photo: Trae Patton/NBC Sofía Vergara is all about empowering women. During Tuesday's episode of America's Got Talent, the actress pushed her Golden Buzzer for Lebanese female dance troupe The Mayyas. The group stunned the judges with their hypnotic routine, prompting the Modern Family alum to push her button and send the dancers straight to the live shows. "I would be so honored to empower you even more in this journey because you deserve it and I want to be part of this," Vergara, 49, said on the episode before hitting her buzzer. The Mayyas spoke to PEOPLE after the exciting moment about how receiving Vergara's coveted Golden Buzzer "was a dream in itself." "Sofía always represented, for us, the image of a strong, beautiful woman," the group says. "And this is what Mayyas is all about: women [and] women empowerment. Receiving the Golden Buzzer from her was an absolute honor. We hope we won't let her down in the next rounds." Vergara added that hitting the Golden Buzzer is "something so weird because you simply feel it. ... You're anxious a little bit, [and thinking], 'What if I don't find it? What is it that I'm looking for?' And you have no clue. You don't come into the show for the first day of work and say, 'I'm going to pick a dancer or I'm going to pick a singer.' It's just something that happens to you and you feel goosebumps and you feel something with that person. And then, it happened to me." The Mayyas after winning Sofia Vergara's Golden Buzzer. Trae Patton/NBC Howie Mandel Calls His Golden Buzzer Act the 'Most Surprising, Jaw-Dropping Moment' He's Seen on AGT Prior to taking the stage, The Mayyas' founder and choreographer Nadim explained that Lebanon "is not a place where you can make a career out of dancing — it's hard and it's really hard for women." Nadim also shared how he grew up watching AGT and was particularly inspired to have his group audition after watching Nightbirde, a singer and fan-favorite from season 16 who sadly died in February after a cancer battle. "Nightbirde was a huge push for us," The Mayyas tell PEOPLE. "In her audition last year, she said, 'You can't wait until life isn't hard anymore before you decide to be happy.' We have been living in a daily struggle in Lebanon between the inflation, the economical crisis, the blast and so much more." "But seeing her glowing on the stage while going through something that is not in her hands to change made us feel that we can [too]," they continue. "We can work harder, we can fight harder, we can adapt to everything happening to us. We are alive, we shouldn't take it from granted and we can't wait until life isn't hard anymore before we decide to be happy." The Mayyas on America's Got Talent. Trae Patton/NBC AGT: Simon Cowell Calls His Golden Buzzer Act a 'Total Star' as Teen Says She's Still 'Speechless' Following their performance and the emotional Golden Buzzer moment, Vergara raved about the dance group on Instagram. "No words can describe how amazingly captivating the Mayyas are!" she wrote in one post. "Felicidades!!!! 🥳❤️ You were amazing 🤩 Never seen anything so beautiful !" Vergara added in a follow-up post. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories Sofia Vergara hitting her Golden Buzzer. Trae Patton/NBC Sofía Vergara Brings Vintage Glamour to America's Got Talent — See Her Show-Stopping Ruby Gown As they prepare to head to the live shows, The Mayyas say they hope their performance inspires women in Lebanon, and across the world, to go after their dreams. "No matter where you are, and the struggle you go through, if you love what you do and you are passionate about it, you can reach anywhere — even the biggest stage of the world," they say. "Never let anyone try to convince you otherwise or try to limit you." "The most exciting part is what comes after: the people we hope to inspire, the possibilities, the future," the group adds. The Mayyas on America's Got Talent. Trae Patton/NBC AGT's Terry Crews on Why He Was 'Floored' by His Golden Buzzer-Winning Act: 'Nothing Better' They're also excited to get back on stage and deliver another show-stopping dance routine. "[We're most excited to] compete with the other amazing talents we have seen in the auditions," the group notes. "It won't be easy, which makes it even more exciting!" America's Got Talent airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.