Miss Sam Houston 2012 to move on to ‘big leagues’

When Angelic Ortiz first heard about the Miss Sam Houston pageant, she was too shy to even sign up for the competition. But after participating in the pageant in April, she beat nine other women to win the title.

Now, Ortiz will head to Allen, Texas as a representative of Sam Houston State University in the 2012 Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant in early July.

The pageant has been produced by the Miss Texas Organization since 1936 and aims to “provide personal and professional opportunities for young Texas women and promoting their voice in culture, politics and community” according to the organization’s website. As this year’s winner of Miss Sam Houston, Ortiz will be the first to compete in the Miss Texas Pageant since the 1980s.

 “It’s exciting,” Ortiz said. “I didn’t know winning Miss Sam Houston was such a big historical marker for the university.”

Ortiz said her pageant experience has helped her break out of her comfort zone despite it being only her second time competing.

Since winning the title of Miss Sam Houston, Ortiz has visited schools in the Houston area to speak about the college experience has begun creating programs for children in Huntsville and generating fundraising ideas for the university.

“I was just a regular student but now I have to push the envelope to go beyond my comfort zone,” she said. “The most rewarding part of this experience is to see myself growing as a person.”

However, that growth has not come without its challenges.

“When I wake up, I don’t normally fix my hair,” she said. “Now, I work out every day during the week and this is my first time on a diet. It’s a whole new world for me.”

Ortiz said she has also been practicing her public speaking, walking and body language, and following current events to form opinions.

“All of my challenges have been preparing for Miss Texas because I feel like it’s the big leagues,” she said. “It’s a matter of putting in the same effort as other girls who have done this for years.”

Ortiz will be participating in several events during the three day pageant experience including group rehearsals, attending a press conference and preparing for the different portions of the competition including swimsuit, evening gown, talent and questions from a judging panel and on-stage.

Despite the challenges of a new experience, Ortiz said her involvement at SHSU has helped prepare her for what is to come.  

“Being in NAACP has helped me learn a lot about my own opinions and to be more passionate about certain causes,” she said. “Also, being a member of Tri Sigma has helped be grow as a woman in all aspects. I learned how to time-manage, keep up with my grades and get involved in a lot of community service.”

Dean of Students John Yarbeck, who was a judge in the Miss Sam Houston pageant, said it was exciting to have Ortiz as a representative of SHSU.

“[During the pageant] she was very comfortable, polished and had a sense of charisma,” he said. “For her to be competing [in Miss Texas] shows what kind of high-quality students we have here at Sam Houston.”

Ortiz said with the pressure heating up before the competition, she remains positive about her goal of making the top 15 in the pageant as a rookie.

“I don’t want to go [to the pageant] with any doubts in my mind,” she said. “I just want to be a blank canvas and let it happen.”

The Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant will be televised across the state, and will be held in the Allen Center Arena. Viewers may vote online for the Miss Texas People’s Choice Award. Each vote is $1 and the contestant with the most votes automatically makes it to the final night of the competition. To vote, viewers may go to https://fourpointsmagazine.com/miss-texas-peoples-choice-awards