Well, an “unrealistic” dream became very much realistic. My name is Wendy Araujo and I am the 100th Miss San Antonio for 2023! To have that title is still incredibly surreal for me, as I and others thought this would never happen to me. If you had asked younger Wendy who would only wear sparkly dresses, plastic tiaras and her mommy’s jewels if she knew she’d become a beauty queen one day, she would cry because she wouldn’t like you lying to her.
I grew up watching pageantry at a very young age. I watched every pageant system ranging from state competitions, to Miss International and even Miss Universe! You would think that I was enamored with all the glitz and glamour, but you’d be wrong. I was in love with the way these women spoke from the heart and how they commanded attention whenever they walked into the room. I dreamt of being exactly like those women. If not completely, I’d take a third of it.
My journey coming into the Miss America Organization was anything but normal, at least to me. I was going through a huge imposter syndrome moment in my life shortly after losing my father unexpectedly in January of 2020 and I wasn’t sure if I needed to be doing anything differently in my life. I didn’t think much of it until the following days after I asked for a sign of change in my life if I needed it, I kept being given signs of pageantry. I had a small local pageant flyer (for 3-10 year olds, not MAO related) sitting on the windshield of my car and no other car around mine had said flyer. The very next day, I kept getting newsletters from all sorts of pageant systems even though I had never enrolled to be a part of them. Then the following week, Miss Texas 2022 Averie Bishop, announced on instagram that she was hosting 4 free informational sessions for those who were interested in the Miss America Organization, and becoming a competitor.
All those consistent signs were trying to tell me this was the change I needed in my life, and I will be very honest that I was extremely hesitant and nervous. I ended up taking a leap of faith and went to Averie’s informational session and came out winning a random draw prize consisting of Averie paying my Miss America registration fee ($35) and my first local fee ($75). I walked out feeling uneasy until I realized that this truly was meant to be, and not an accident. I followed through with my prize and redeemed it at the 2023 Miss Plano/Richardson Organization pageant, my very first pageant. Even though I walked away empty handed, I walked out a whole new person and with an insane amount of interest from other local organizations and support from new-found friends.
I contemplated just calling it quits after the 1st local only because since this sport is very foreign to me, I wasn’t sure where to begin working on to improve, and didn’t have access to coaches, prep, etc. After having many titleholders encouraging me to keep going, and other directors wanting to speak with me, I became more motivated to figure out what my new game plan was going to be, because I was determined to win a title for the 2023 season at that point. It didn’t take me on my 2nd try, and not my 3rd try, nor my 4th. After I competed at my 4th local, I was approached by a man and his husband introducing themselves as the directors of the Miss San Antonio Organization and wanted to extend an invitation for me to compete for them, but I quickly became discouraged because I had all of my support telling me that I was going to walk away with my own title, yet the exact opposite was happening at every local.
My sister quickly signed me up on my behalf to compete for them, well knowing I was soon moving to San Marcos for school, and it would make the most sense if I became the next San Antonio representative... That’s if I ended up winning that local after every loss I went through.
There was a week break from the 4th local I did until the 5th local (MSAO) and I went into what would unknowingly be my last local of the season with an open mind, an open heart with a grateful attitude. And then it happened, I won. I truly thought it was an accident, just like when Steve Harvey famously named Miss Colombia 2015 the new Miss Universe when in fact Miss Philippines truly won Miss Universe 2015. As realization further sunk in that that was not the case, every feeling hit me all at once. After all the tears, cries, and congratulations wore off, I had a revelation; I was placed here on purpose and not by accident like I made myself believe.
If there is anything I’d like for you and anyone to take away from this story, it is to NEVER BELIEVE you are accidentally placed somewhere where you don't think you belong.
If you weren’t capable, the opportunity would have never come your way. You belong.
-Wendy Araujo
