By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Del Rioans Rebeca Camposano and Ariana Solorio will represent the Queen City of the Rio Grande at the Miss Texas Teen and Miss Texas USA Pageants in Houston this week.
Camposano, 16, is the daughter of Veronica Camposano and Ricardo Camposano and will represent the area as Miss Val Verde Texas Teen.
Solorio is 19 and the daughter of Manuel Solorio and Sandra Solorio. She will represent the community as Miss Val Verde Texas.
Camposano was crowned during the Miss Val Verde Texas Teen Pageant here in May and spoke with the 830 Times Saturday about her venture into the pageant world.
Camposano was born in Del Rio’s sister city of Ciudad Acuña, Coah., Mexico, and she now holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and Mexico.
She said entering a pageant taught her a great deal about herself.
“Being able to picture myself on the stage and answer questions in front of judges, in front of a variety of people, wasn’t something that I expected I’d be able to do, but it turns out I can and do it well,” Camposano said with a laugh.
She said she never realized the important role mental health played in pageants.
“I thought it was just putting on a dress and walking out on stage and waving, but having the confidence to go out there in an active-wear top or a swimsuit and being able to answer questions clearly and to have my voice heard was definitely something I underestimated,” Camposano said.
Practice, she said, helped her gain the confidence she needed.
“For me, it was saying my name loud and proud, maybe in front of the mirror, smiling. At first my smile wasn’t something I was proud of, but I told myself to be positive and that no matter what challenge comes up, I’ll get through it,” she said.
Camposano is currently a junior at Del Rio High School and said she hopes to become an immigration attorney.
“I want to be able to help children and help them reunite with their families as quickly as possible,” she said.
Her decision was influenced in part because she and her mother were separated when she was younger over an immigration issue.
Camposano said she is looking forward to competing in the Miss Texas Teen Pageant in Houston on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 4-5.
Solorio will compete in the Miss Texas USA Pageant Thursday and Friday, Sept. 2-3.
Camposano said she has been working her stage walk in preparation for the competition.
“I’m just trying to be mentally prepared for everything that comes my way. I’m looking forward to seeing all the other girls, just the whole experience. It’s my first year, and I’ve heard it’s a pretty big show,” she said.
Camposano encouraged Del Rioans to support local pageants and other youth activities.
“I’d like people to support anyone that’s going out and representing our community,” she said.
Solorio is currently attending the University of Texas at Austin, where she is pursuing a degree in speech language, with the intent to become a speech pathologist.
Edward Guerrero is the pageant director of the Miss Val Verde Texas Pageant. He said the pageant falls under the Laredo Pageant Productions, which is the official recruiter for Miss Texas and Miss Texas Teen USA.
“I was a pageant coach, and then transitioned into starting the Miss Val Verde Texas Pageant. I wanted to be able to give these girls an opportunity. I rolled out the pageant in about three-and-a-half months, and it was difficult because it was sort of at one of the peaks of the pandemic, but I said, if not me then who? And I wanted to help shine a light during such a dark time, and I was fortunate enough to exceed my own expectations,” Guerrero said, noting 20 young women entered the event.
“I know this is something I want to keep going, to pass on to these girls some life skills like the confidence they’ll need. You want to be able to give everyone that opportunity,” he added.
Del Rioans can stream the pageants live at https://www.misstexasusa.com
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Contact the author at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
