El Paso native Marissa Teijo, 71, is feeling like a winner after competing in the Miss Texas USA pageant, a preliminary competition for Miss USA, as the oldest contestant.
This year, for the first time, the Miss Universe Organization removed the age limit, broadening the pool of contestants vying for the crown.
Though Teijo did not win the crown, she won the hearts of many women, from young beauty queens to older ladies, who were inspired by her story.
“I thought I could inspire a lot of women to be healthy, so that was my main goal,” she said. “Going to Texas and showing that age doesn’t matter if you take care of yourself. I’m not talking about your face. I’m talking about being healthy, having a healthy body and being strong.”
Teijo believes women should aim to be healthy and strong, not skinny. She trains with weightlifting three times a week, gets some cardio by walking her dog up the hills in her East Side neighborhood, and likes to do spinning on other days of the week.
After finishing her competition on June 22 at the Hilton Houston Park Oak Hotel in Houston, Teijo was amazed by the support she received.
“I’m a little overwhelmed by the amount of attention I’m getting. I never expected this much attention,” she said. “It’s overwhelming, but it’s also nice that so many women have reached out to me and said that I inspired them to start a fitness program.”
Teijo also said her experience at the competition was exciting.
“It was so much fun. It was amazing. I enjoyed walking on stage. There was so much energy. I still love to have fun and the girls who were in the competition were so lovely, so nice to me and so complimentary. I’m so grateful.”
Teijo, a former elementary school teacher in the Socorro Independent School District, is an El Paso model who is represented by Bazaar Models of El Paso and has appeared in television commercials. She hopes the contest will lead to other modeling opportunities.
“I will be returning to Bazaar Models to practice how to walk as a model and hopefully with the exposure I’ve gained I can get some more modelling jobs,” she said.
Who will be the winner of Miss Texas USA 2024?
Miss Dallas USA, Alyenna Ware, was crowned Miss Texas USA 2024 during a glittering state finals held at the Hilton Houston Post Oak Hotel on June 22, according to the pageant circle’s website.
The 26-year-old sustainable home builder and interior designer also won top prize in the swimsuit category and will now prepare to represent Texas at the Miss USA 2024 pageant in Hollywood, California.
Maria Cortez Gonzalez can be reached at 915-546-6150, mcortes@elpasotimes.com, on Twitter at @EPTMaria and on TikTok at eptmariacg..
