Behind the Miss Belleza Latina International 2014 Crown: An Interview with Alexis Ariana Hermosillo

By: Cindy G. Castillo

For Alexis Ariana Hermosillo, 23, the honor of being selected as Miss Belleza Latina International 2014 title goes far beyond the glitz and the glamour behind the crown.

“My whole point in getting into pageants is to knock down those stereotypes and encourage girls. I try to take all the values that my parents instilled in me to really show that there are Latinas [who] are really successful and going for what they want,” Hermosillo said.

Receiving her title in the city of Orlando Florida this past August, Hermosillo has taken on the task to pursue her ultimate mission, which is encouraging education, cultural and family values, as well as motivating others to pursue their goals, especially in the young Latino community.

She is currently Vice President of a non-profit organization called Mujer Inc., whose main mission is to empower Latinas both professionally and personally focusing on high school teens.

“Our goal is to have a retreat each year to expose them to opportunities in college, social awareness, and anything that shifts their focus towards their future. To what they really want to become through their career, their education, [as well as] confidence and self-esteem.”

Hermosillo is a student at Grand Canyon University pursuing a Doctoral degree in organizational leadership. Her ultimate goal is to create organizations helping the Latino youth have the educational opportunities that they ultimately deserve.

“I feel a lot of young Latinos have the potential and the hunger to really succeed but don’t have the resources to do so, especially against other counterparts,” she said.

Coming from a similar background, and having not had the sufficient resources to be informed about going to college, Hermosillo feels a connection to today’s young Latino community. Through her experiences, she’s turned to the facts and grew curious about how she could help.

“I can help these girls … open their mind to let them know that there really is more out there than what they see every day in school, in their family, [and] that’s my connection with them.”

It is through her education, her title, and ultimately her persona that Hermosillo feels it is her goal to help others and to give back. It is her parents that she looks up to the most for inspiration however, as they’ve instilled in her values that she now carries on throughout her career.

“My parents have been a good example of helping people, and helping [them] genuinely, not expecting anything in return.”

Hermosillo feels that her current responsibility as Miss Belleza Latina International is to use said title in a positive way, and to its fullest potential.

“Once you have the title it’s not about you; it’s about other people. For me right now it’s about ‘What can I do next?’ [or] ‘What charity can I help, or what cause can I expose?’” she said.

Her ultimate advice for girls is to believe in themselves, and to know that their dreams are able to become a reality despite of outside opinions. Hermosillo believes in self-worth and the power of inner confidence that makes women realize that they are more valuable than what people might make them feel.

“Never give up. Always persevere because you will experience so many things in life, and sometimes those things are setbacks, but these are only meant to build you up.”