Averie Bishop, whose reign as Miss Texas ended Saturday, was the first Asian American to win the contest in its 85 years. She spent her year with the crown as an outspoken avatar for a rapidly diversifying Texas. Via washingtonpost
Scholarship prize money drew her to pageants, first Miss Lufkin in East Texas, then Miss Carrolton in the Dallas suburbs, Miss Dallas and ultimately, on her third try, Miss Texas. So far, she’s won nearly $90,000, putting a dent in her student debt.
But as Miss Texas, she said, she’s learned to lean on a network to get things done. Pageant officials, she said, have been true to their promise to support her as she traveled to about 250 schools to discuss diversity and, at most high schools, gender identity. During some high school visits, Bishop asked students to raise their hands and share communities they identified with. She said students often mentioned the LGBTQ+ community.
“Never have I ever seen a person who can multitask and fit so much into a day,” said Jan Estes, one of the volunteers who accompany Miss Texas, known as the Lonestar Ladies. “Name a situation, you can put her in the middle of it. Snake pit? She was acting like she loved it.” “I grew up in a really small town, just like Fairfield,” she said. “I didn’t really see anybody who looked like me. … I used to look in the mirror and think that my flat nose and my eyes were really ugly and I would be really shy and embarrassed about my background.”“I want you to remind yourself of the importance of growing not only love for yourself and what makes you special, but how to grow others in your community,” she said.
At the start of the parade, Bishop posed next to a cherry red 1951 convertible with the beaming woman who had donated it for her appearance: a gun belt manufacturer who wore earrings with tiny dangling revolvers. Floats lined up nearby, including one from Faith Academy of Freestone, which teaches creationism.
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