LONGVIEW, Texas — From advocacy to politics, to Hispanic representation; Michelle Gamboa is making history as the first East Texan to represent Longview in the Miss Latina Texas pageant.
Meet your Miss Longview Latina.
"I would be honored and privileged to be your next Miss Texas Latina so that I can use my voice to fight for other great issues that impact our world," Gamboa said.
Originally from Juarez, Mexico, Michelle Gamboa moved to East Texas as a young child. She graduated from Spring Hill High School, then attended Texas A&M where she got her bachelor's in Political Science.
Ever since being accepted into the pageant, he's has had to add extra training and duties to her already busy schedule.
"Times are not easy there's a lot of times I'm wanting to give up," she said.
Gamboa manages her father's roofing company, she does outreach for Hispanic conservatives in the State of Texas, she serves as the vice-chair of a legislative advocacy team at CASA east texas... and she is a court-appointed special advocate for children in the Gregg County area.
"Michelle has a passion for CASA and the children that she serves. She has really just provided a fantastic voice. She is a wonderful Latina role model for our community," CASA Executive Director Karen Holt said.
Holt appreciates Michelle's dedication to serving the children she advocates for.
"Children really need us and who else can fight for them except for us," Gamboa said.
Many of the children in the foster system in East Texas are Hispanic or Latino and she says less than ten percent of volunteers speak Spanish meaning a lot of things can fall into the cracks of the system.
"I'm just really hoping that everybody in East Texas will use their voice not only to represent issues but to let others know that the Latino population is a thriving population. We believe in faith, family, and hard work. and I think that those values really need to be voiced and represented," Gamboa said.
The Miss Texas Latina competition is set for Oct. 28 to 31 in Houston. The winner will move on to Miss USA Latina.
You can help Gamboa advance to the finals of the pageant by voting for her on Facebook and Instagram.