By Brian Argabright
When deciding to move outside your comfort zone, that first step can sometimes be the toughest.
For Isabella Levrie, that step took her from the robotics labs of the San Felipe Del Rio CISD to the title of Miss Del Rio Teen 2020-21.
Levrie, a 14-year-old freshman at Del Rio Early College High School, was crowned one of Del Rio’s newest title-holders Jan. 23. She also won the award for Best in Evening Gown.
The daughter of Israel and Mariana Levrie, Isabella said this was her first pageant and decided to compete as an opportunity to try something new.
“I felt that if I could win this then I could make a very big impact on my community,” Levrie said. “I can say that this was a lot of hard work and dedication. But it’s so elevating because you see these girls and they all want this same goal and want to accomplish the same thing and that’s so motivating for you.”
As a youth member of Living Stone Church and a member of the school district’s CTE Computer Science Program, Levrie has a diverse and active life. She admitted that she did have an aunt who competed for Miss Del Rio in the past, but she decided to compete herself when one of her friends, Trinity Martinez, invited her to compete.
“That night I was feeling so anxious, nervous and so scared because I thought I wasn’t good enough, that I wasn’t able to be like the other girls, but that was a good thing I wasn’t like them because it helped me realize that being different is perfectly fine. Being scared of something is perfectly fine,” Levrie said.
When Levrie was announced as the new Miss Del Rio Teen, she admitted that it was a big surprise to her. “It completely shocked me. I’m usually very introverted, so when they announced my name it was a big shocker, but it made me so happy,” Levrie said.
It wasn’t all easy for Levrie. She said there was one big thing she had to overcome if she wanted to compete.
“The toughest thing for me to overcome was the anxiety of public speaking. I’m not great at public speaking, so I would practice and practice every day until it just came naturally. It would usually be about an hour a day. I’d practice at school or even with my mom in her room,” Levrie said.
Now Levrie said she would use her time as Miss Del Rio Teen to speak to and for the community’s youth and encourage them to try new things and to break out of the stereotypes people have of them.
“I want people to believe in the younger kids. Yes, we can be very irrational, but we’re still young. There’s still hope for us. We can accomplish so many things with the guidance of our parents and teachers and elders,” Levrie said. “I want young people to know that if they want to try something new then they should go for it. They can try something new and it can lead them to something that may surprise them.”
As for Levrie’s future, she said she has considered a career in the United States Air Force, working in the computer science field. She added that the military, particularly the Air Force, is a family thing.
For now Levrie will focus on her school and on her duties as Miss Del Rio Teen. She said she’ll also remember what the pageant meant for her and her family and how it has changed her for the better.
“I think (my family) were all very surprised when I won. I’m very tomboyish and my friends thought of the pageant as more of a girly thing. After competing, I see these girls who are in pageants as strong independent ladies and that’s what I want to be. I think it also helped as my parents saw me coming out of my shell,” Levrie said.
