By Brian Argabright
Del Rio’s newest ambassador is hoping to give a voice to those people who are afraid to speak.
Elaine Oyama, 19, was crowned the new Miss Del Rio two weeks ago, but her path to the crown began several years ago. She first competed in the Miss Del Rio Teen Pageant in 2018, eventually earning the title after the former title holder was forced to abdicate the role.
She went onto compete at Miss Texas Teen and was later named first runner-up in the Miss Val Verde Pageant. All of that experience prepared for her this year’s pageant, but it also gave her the opportunity to share her story and become a beacon to the people who had experienced the same kind of trauma she had when she was younger.
A survivor of sexual assault, Oyama testified against her attacker, a former local pediatrician, and used that experience as an inspiration to create the Oyama Trust.
“The main goal of the Oyama Trust is to educate people on the last effects of trauma, whether it be sexual assault, abuse that is physical or verbal, and all of their lasting effects,” Oyama, who has worked with BCFS, the San Antonio Police Department and other advocacy groups.
The daughter of David and Veronica Oyama, Elaine is currently a senior at the University of Texas-San Antonio. She’s pre-med, majoring in medical humanities and psychology. She hopes to use her education to expand the impact of the Oyama Trust.
“I think everything started when I testified and no one knew. I didn’t speak about it until I was 17. There are still some things I don’t tell a lot of people, but I by holding everything in it’s not helping me, so now I talk everything out even if it’s just to myself,” Oyama said. “I learned that there’s millions of people going through the same situations and they’re looking for someone else. For me, everything started with the MeToo movement. That’s when I decided I was going to be a part of this. I’m finally getting to the point that I don’t cry when I talk about it. Showing others that I can talk about it and can get through it is an encouragement, and I want to be that encouragement for others.”
Oyama said that being Miss Del Rio would give her an opportunity to allow her voice to be heard as a person of authority. She said the added role as an ambassador for the city, even for a few months, will give her an opportunity to work with others to help her spread her message of advocacy.
“Really everything comes down to people listening to people wearing a shiny hat. People will listen to you if you’re in a position of power, and while it’s not like you’re the mayor or in government administration, you know they’ll listen to you when normally they wouldn’t. Now that I have 10 months, I have more time to work within Del Rio and work with organizations that I normally wouldn’t be able to,” Oyama said.
Aside from establishing the Oyama Trust, Elaine has also been a business owner. She purchased Hikari Coffee two years ago and she and her family have expanded the business to include 10 flavors and has become the youngest member of the Del Rio and Hispanic chambers of commerce.
And all of that, she said was because of the town she calls home and is proud to represent.
“Del Rio really is a town of opportunity. It opened its doors to me when I started my company. I never thought it would be possible. I know a lot of people that when they graduated they want to leave and I had the same mentality, but I know that without Del Rio I would not be the person I am today. I know everyone says that, but it is the entire reason that I am who I am,” Oyama said. “Little kids look up to people like me. A princess has a lot of responsibilities aside from wearing a shiny hat, and whether it’s playing sports or getting good grades, I need to be proud of it as long as I am in that role. In the end, it’s okay to not be okay, and that’s something I struggled with for a long time.”
