Lluvia Alzate of Houston is crowned this year's Miss Texas USA

The Houstonian said she plans to use her crown to raise awareness for ALS.
Ariana Garcia

Chron July 20, 2023 Updated: July 20, 2023 11:02 a.m.

Lluvia Alzate of Houston has been crowned the new Miss Texas USA. She now heads to the Miss USA pageant later this year.

For the second year running, a Houston native will represent Texas on the Miss USA stage. On Saturday, Lluvia Alzate was officially crowned Miss Texas USA during the pageant at the Hilton Houston Post Oak Hotel, edging out over 90 other competitors. The 26-year-old of Colombian descent follows in the footsteps of Houston's R'Bonney Gabriel, who was crowned Miss Universe in January.

"A moment that I'm going to forever cherish," Alzate wrote on Instagram following her win. "I feel so immensely grateful and honored to introduce myself as MISS TEXAS USA 2023 and have the opportunity to represent my amazing state of Texas this year and I don't hold this lightly."

This is Alzate's second time competing for the Miss Texas USA title. Last year, she competed as Miss Cypress and finished as third runner-up to Gabriel. Born in Cali, Colombia, Alzate moved to the U.S. with her siblings and her mother, Fanny, when she was five years old. Currently, she works in real estate and holds a degree in business finance from the University of Houston. She's also a staunch advocate for ALS research.

Lluvia Alzate said she plans to use her Miss Texas USA crown to raise awareness for ALS, a neurological disease her mother was diagnosed with in 2019.

In an interview this week with KPRC 2's Houston Life, Alzate said she aims to use her crown to raise awareness of the neurodegenerative disease. When her mother was diagnosed with ALS in January 2018, Alzate became her full-time caregiver. Unfortunately, Fanny passed away in December 2022. "It has fueled me to want to speak out a lot more about not only this disease, but overcoming tragedies and difficult times," she told KPRC about her mother's death. "No matter how hard times may get or seem, we have to focus on what we're passionate about and what is our mission in life because that's what is going to continue to fuel us to reach our goals and our potential."

Alzate now heads to the Miss USA 2023 pageant in Reno, Nev. later this year. "I just really want to represent Texas to the best of my ability," she told KPRC. "I'm very excited about that."

https://www.lmtonline.com/news/houston-texas/article/miss-texas-houston-18209532.php