Victoria Hinojosa

Age 22 | McAllen | Facebook | Instagram

On September 4, 2021, Victoria A. Hinojosa of McAllen, Texas, fulfilled her lifelong aspiration of becoming Texas Royalty.  Rising above the fierce competition of more than 120 exceptional young women, twenty-two-year-old Victoria donned the title of Miss Texas USA 2021.  Her next pageant goal is only weeks away.  On November 29, 2021, she will compete in Tulsa, Oklahoma to become the tenth Miss USA from the Lone Star State.

At first glance, Victoria might seem an unlikely candidate for the sparkling crown and prestigious title of Miss Texas USA.  Growing up in an “outdoorsy family”, her favorite activities include shotgun shooting, fishing, and family time on the ranch.  She was a state qualifier in Competitive Skeet Shooting.   Along the way, she honed other skills. She graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Agricultural Communications and Journalism and became a confident public speaker.  Her social media marketing and customer relations savvy serve her well in her position as a Social Media Marketing Manager.  She is also in demand as an E-Comm/Print model for bridal and prom dresses, boutique clothing, and footwear.  Her ambition is to own a marketing firm focusing on the beauty industry.

Unfortunately, like for many students, it was at the start of her college years that Victoria felt like she didn’t belong.  A young Hispanic woman from a small town, who was confident, had pride in her culture and upbringing, all of a sudden felt judged for the color of her skin, was given awkward looks when speaking Spanish in public and just felt like she didn’t fit in.  With love and encouragement from family and friends, she learned to stay true to herself and to overcome the uneasy feelings and prejudices that surrounded her.  It is because of this experience that she felt the need to do more to help fight discrimination.  She believes that culture and diversity training shouldn’t start in college or at orientation for new employment, but more needs to be done during our childhood years.  Victoria believes in focusing on our future generations at an earlier age by teaching the importance of appreciating and respecting others’ cultures, religions, and traditions.  She spends her spare time reading books to elementary-aged children, whose material focuses on embracing diversity and building self-confidence.

Victoria has also found her calling to serve the community.  With a heart for the children in her community, Victoria founded a non-profit organization, Victorious Angels, to help smaller or struggling non-profits that benefit children.  What better way to use her education and expertise in social media marketing, than to teach organizations how to best use social media platforms to expand their resources and their outreach.  She assists in hosting virtual fundraisers and using her 10K+followers to bring awareness to the organizations and their missions.

Victoria is not one to give up.  She says, “I have learned I won’t always succeed at everything I try to do, but I will always learn and grow from these experiences.”  She loves to help young people overcome feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt.  She encourages them not to “hold back on who you are for anyone.  God made us all unique.  Embrace who you are.”