Crown Up ! - International
Texas wins Miss Eco USA 2022
Sydney Rose Salinas was crowned Miss Eco USA 2022 during a pageant, held in Chicago on June 23, 2022. Miss Eco Texas succeeds the last year’s titleholder Jesaura Peralta (who finished 2nd runner-up Miss Eco International 2022) and will represent United States at the next edition of Miss Eco International, to be held in February 2023 in Egypt. After her crowning, salinas said she is still in shock about her victory and is already to present herself and her views to the international stage. “I went in there and gave it my all, and being 26 years old, I felt in a different mindspace going into this pageant, as I have done pageants for over 15 years,” Salinas said. “What I noticed about this pageant was how very confident and very excited I was as the last couple of years have been hard on a lot of people, and so I just wanted to go in and have fun. Essentially it is what I did, and I ended up winning and am very excited about this, as to be able to win a national title is a dream come true.”
“I have goosebumps and I am very shocked, as this does not happen for a little small town girl, so I just had no words,” Salinas said. “To be able to win and hand hundreds and thousands of messages from people all over the world is insane< as they all want to know how you feel, what you are doing and what your pathway is, and that they cannot wait to see you in eight months in Egypt, so it is so surreal.”
Salinas is not a newbie to the pageant scene, as she has been involved for more than 15 years and has participated in various events in the past from the Miss Grand Texas 2020 to the Miss Grand United States 2021 contests as well.
“My journey has definitely been a whirlwind, quite a rodeo ride as I started in Laredo competing (against) our past Miss Texas Daniela Rodriguez in my first pageant,” Salinas said. “I then went up to Miss America where I was able to be crowned Miss Laredo, and on top of that I went to the Southwest Texas USA. Then I turned around and said that I wanted something more than just this, and what I am able to do? (I) reached out to people on the other side of the world to have such a bigger voice and have more culture and dip into a world that is more than just us. That is what I found in this system and in this company.”
Salinas will also prepare for is highlighting the campaign platform she is working on which focuses on a “Clean Water, Clean Earth.”
“I am very passionate about water, and especially here living (near) the Rio Grande, we know that there are a lot of movements,” Salinas said. “We know that we need to keep our river clean. I love fish and I love water, and it is just so crazy that so much more education is needed about pollution — why not to throw motor oil down the sewage lines, why we need to pick up plastic bags and why do we need to use reusable bags.
“It is such a shame that on the other side of the Earth — and some people down our street — don’t have access to clean water when it should be a free thing, because it is the main seed of all life on Earth.”
Salinas also touched on the fact there is recent and growing concern that the Rio Grande might be drying up, and she said it is time for the communities that benefit from the water of the river to begin implementing strategic managing techniques to make sure it’s not misused. She said there are ways in which it is not polluted as much and also to develop better conservation methods. She believes education is key.
Salinas said one of the main reasons she is excited for her trip to Egypt has to do with the fact she wants to learn how they implement their eco-friendly techniques. She also hopes she can immerse herself in the culture while also helping showcase her Hispanic and American culture to the people of the city.
“I feel that America is behind the curve when it comes to practices such as that, so I feel that if they have something to teach in this eco-friendly organization and be out of Egypt, then they must be doing something right,” Salinas said.
Salinas said she is a full nature gal who loves everything dealing with the outdoors, and her favorite animal is, and continues to be, fish.
“We are out there, we like to do nature stuff as we live in Texas, and Laredo is really proud about being eco-friendly and just being out in nature period, so that is something that really hit very close to me,” Salinas said. “We do have a ranch here in Laredo, and I love to be outdoors, and that is one of the reasons why I thought this organization was the perfect (fit) for me.
“I think spending that family time on the ranch and being able to talk to people with similar interests and being able with several conservation groups out there in Laredo, whether it is deal with our LIFE Fair and Expo and dealing with children and animals, that is what my family and I like to do.”
She said she likes interacting with the community as well.
Salinas is a graduate of John B. Alexander High School and is currently working in Laredo. She is studying at Texas A&M International University where she is about to graduate in December 2022 with a degree in communications and a minor in psychology. Upon graduating, she will not just work but go straight to her master’s degree in political science.
She is currently still debating whether to become a real estate agent, go into broadcasting or get into public service.
As for what are some things she likes in the city, she says she enjoys to eat enchiladas callejeras. She said her favorite enchiladas can be found at Delcy’s.
