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At the age of 13, Andrea Gonzalez says she’s officially become the first girl in the Rio Grande Valley to score a place at the Junior Miss Earth USA competition.
When the Mission resident got the call announcing her acceptance into the pageant her eyes filled with tears of joy and she saw her hard work paying off.
Not only is she the first local contestant who will be competing for Junior Miss Earth USA but she is also the first to win Miss Junior Texas in the Valley.
“I’ve never felt more overjoyed in my life,” Andrea said Friday. “I’m the first in the Valley so I’m extremely honored to have a hold of this title.”
Although the competition isn’t until December, she has already begun preparing with the help of her modeling coach, Karla Monje, who she attributes much of her success to as well as her faith.
“I cannot wait for the competition because I’m going to do my best,” Andrea said with determination, noting that she’s participated in many pageants and that she’s had to “fail to succeed.”
“I’m going to put all my hard work into that competition to make everyone in the Valley proud,” she added.
For Andrea, the pageants aren’t just a competition but rather a chance to meet new people and learn about different cultures.
Since competitors in pageants are often from all over the world, Andrea explained that she’s had the opportunity to learn more about Russia, France and other countries.
“I love the friends I make,” Andrea said. “All the girls encouraging one another — it just feels like all the girls are gathered together sharing the same passion and you just feel so loved in this community.”
Andrea will be competing in the pageant Dec. 29-31 in Orlando, Florida.
Her mother, Arminda Garza, spoke highly of Andrea’s accomplishments, saying she’s “one of the top (five) competitors in pageants” and noted that she is also well-known for writing to Elon Musk to request an internship at SpaceX in 2020.
