They
say that the third time's a charm, but not in the case of EPCC student
Liliana Gomez, who won the Miss El Paso U.S.A. Pageant on New Year's
Eve. This was her first beauty competition of any kind.
"This
was my first pageant and I feel real honored for receiving the title,"
said Gomez, who is majoring in Psychology. “The number one reason
why I joined the pageant is because I love meeting new people and
the pageant provided me a chance to try something new and have a memorable
and very unique experience."
Though winning the crown is a dream come true for Gomez, the road
to becomming Miss El Paso hasn’t been a smooth one.
EPCC
student, Liliana Gomez
“My
duties as Miss El Paso began the instant I was crowned on New Year’s
Eve and I’ll be pretty busy for the next year,” she said.
“Some of my duties will be to choose a platform, a charity or
non-profit organization to work with. Though I’ve done some
work for children with Muscular Dystrophy, I’ll probably choose
Mother’s Against Drunk Drivers because my mother was killed
by a drunk driver.”
Although quite young at the time, the scars still remain.
“She was killed when I was just three years old,” Gomez
said. “The man who crashed into her drove away from the scene
but was eventually caught. He received just two years in prison.”
Suddenly Gomez found herself alone without a responsible parent figure.
“We lived in Rochester, New York, and my father was into drugs
and in and out of jail so I came to El Paso to live with my aunt on
my mother’s side of the family.”
Unfortunately, her aunt died two years after she arrived.
“I finally moved in with another aunt who eventually adopted
me. Life with her has been wonderful. She isn’t my biological
mother but if I had to have a substitute, she’s the best substitute
I could have ever hoped for.”
Through disappointment and tragedy, Gomez has found an inner strength
few people her age can match.
"Losing my biological mother made me a stronger person and although
it has been a bumpy road there is no excuse not to be successful and
go after what you want in life," said Gomez. "My adopted
mother is my role model because she is a strong and an inspiring influence
in my life, she always supports me and gives me a great amount of
confidence."
Oscar Molinar, Creative Director of Danco Media Events which are the
official producers of Miss Texas United States says, "I believe
Miss El Paso is a strong and focused person, she really deserved the
title because she has a strong will and determination." According
to Molinar, Gomez got a perfect score in her interview with the judges.
Gomez had some advice for young people who may be going through some
of the same painful experiences she’s gone through.
“Always keep your head up and never lose your confidence,”
she said. “Follow your dreams and your heart, but don’t
forget that you can’t rely on anyone else to do things for you,
you have to do it yourself.”
