Miss Texas North America

One of my goals for 2021 was to compete in pageants again. I had hung up my pageant heels for a couple of years in order to focus on my Master's degree and searching for a big girl job. Now that I've settled into my job and saved some money for this very expensive hobby, I gave competing in pageants a go again and it ended with me landing my DREAM TITLE! Better than I could have ever expected! Read my blog and learn why you should NEVER under estimate yourself.

My Insight:

Not only did I cross this goal off, but I surpassed it by actually WINNING the title of Miss Texas North America on March 7th, 2021! To be completely honest, this came as a huge surprise to me but in the best way. I always underestimate myself and am my own toughest critic. Don't get me wrong, I still gave the competition my all and left with absolutely no regrets. There was 13 contestants in total and the moment I saw some of them and the way they performed, I caught myself thinking "Ok I think contestant # _ is going to win, and contestant # _ is going to be the first runner up" and so on. As much as I knew that I did well, I could not stop those thoughts from creeping into my head. I can't even begin to explain the feeling that went through my entire body when I was announced as the winner that night. To this day, thinking of that moment gives me unexplainable chills. I have always wanted a big enough platform to help me spread awareness to the topics I am most passionate about. I always wanted to be a role model in a bigger sense and represent something much larger than myself. I always wanted to be a Miss Texas and what I once thought could only be a dream, is now a reality I get to wake up to each morning!

About the System:

The Miss Texas North America pageant is normally in person but if there is anything to say about this year it is that is anything BUT normal. Hence, the pageant went virtual this year because of the global pandemic but that didn't make it any "easier". We were constantly having to submit or turn in something that was needed from us. There was a $199 entry fee and there was 4 areas of competition. Interview (30%), swimsuit or fitness (30%), formal gown (30%), and overall stage presence (10%). Interview was via zoom and each candidate had their own designated time to log on. During interview, we gave a 30 second basic introduction of ourselves. Swimsuit and evening gown portion were to be recorded in your area of choice and submitted to the pageant director by a certain day/time.

If chosen as the winner, you go compete in Orlando Florida from June 21-25, 2021 for the title of Miss North America.

Blessing in Disguise:

The story behind my decision to run in this pageant is actually pretty neat. When looking to jump back into the pageant heels and continue my pageant career, I looked into as many systems across Texas as I could. You'd be surprised with how many pageant systems there are in Texas and each of them vary in price. I sent an email to the top 5 systems I was interested in, to get more information and pricing. One of those, was Miss Texas North America. However, I had decided to revert back to a system I previously competed in, National Elite Miss. I was a Miss Lone Star State queen for them back in 2018. I love the system and felt that it was something I was already familiar with, which made it an easy choice for me to select and honestly, I was a little nervous jumping out of my comfort zone in registering with a new organization. I registered for the pageant, was preparing for it, was ready to head to Houston to compete for the title of Miss Texas National Elite. During the time of my preparation, I received a second email from the Miss Texas North America pageant and it was genuine, worded perfectly and more than enough to convince me to compete in her system as well. I am a big believer in receiving signs and I took this as a sign from God and the Universe to go for it. Maybe this was meant for me. I registered and began pageant preparations. Even though the competition was virtual, I began planning where I would film the swimsuit and evening gown videos, writing out my introduction and memorizing it, and going over generic interview questions. Miss Texas North America was March 5-7 and Miss Texas National Elite was March 12-14. With Miss Texas North America being before Miss Texas National Elite, I placed all of my focus on this one first, gave it my all, practiced for hours each day, and also had it in the very back of my mind that if I did not win, this would be amazing practice for Miss Texas National Elite. I took my opportunity with Miss Texas North America and RAN with it. And I won!! I took this as the biggest blessing from God in placing this pageant, literally in front of me. Not many pageant directors send a second follow up email, but this one did. And the pageant was BEFORE the original one I signed up for. It was God showing me that he had something bigger and better in store for me and this was it! I owe it all to him, he guided me in this direction and he is the reason why I have this title now.

What Now?

Being Miss Texas North America has been the biggest blessing and opened up countless doors! I have gained sister queens who instantly became my best friends. I have been asked to participate in countless fashion shows, be various boutique's model, appear at grand openings, partake in photoshoots, luncheons, speak at events, and judge pageants! This is the opportunity of a LIFETIME and I am doing my best to live up to every single second of it. I have also taken it upon myself to use this incredible and extraordinary platform to promote my own platforms and promote the organizations I volunteer with in hopes to bring more attention and awareness to them and recruit new individuals to help out. Giving back to local communities and surrounding communities is my primary focus and this has given me an even bigger voice and following to do so. In June, I will be competing for Miss North America in Orlando, Florida for one entire week. Wish me luck and stay tuned for my blog post on that experience!!

If you have any questions about this pageant system, or about pageants in general, feel free to email or message me! I am here to share my stories and experiences in hopes that they will inspire or help you!

XOXO, Tess