25-year-old Allegra Rodriguez wears many hats, not only is she the current Miss Texas Latina but she is also an entrepreneur and aircraft technician which is fueled by her passion for STEM. Originally from Mexico, Rodriguez moved to Texas after fleeing a domestic violence household and is now thriving as a model, pageant queen, and young professional in the aviation industry. Arriving in Hidalgo, Texas as a teenager, Rodriguez lived with a variety of families and immigrant housing throughout her middle and high school years to get by, “I’m very blessed and very grateful for those experiences,” she said.
Reflecting back on her transition from Mexico to Texas, Rodriguez shares how she distracted herself from her troubled home life, “I was around 12 and 13 years old at that time, and as a way of escaping my troubles, I would spend my time at school building robots from scratch and joining the mathematics club. I actually broke an all-male mathematics team and became the captain–so a trailblazer from the very beginning and ever since I was younger,” she said. During school, Rodriguez visited the NASA headquarters which highly inspired her love for aviation, “I thought I could picture myself doing that, and was very curious how aircrafts and rockets work,” she said. Adding, “The original goal was rockets which is still a goal of mine, and to one day even work at NASA. I don’t know, you can only plan so far ahead because you never know what path you will take. For instance, I never thought I would be representing Texas and be a role model for other Latinas.” Eventually settling in San Antonio, Rodriguez received a full scholarship to attend UTSA for civil engineering and currently holds one degree in interdisciplinary studies and two from San Antonio’s Hallmark University College of Aeronautics.
Currently, Rodriguez works as an aircraft technician for one of the largest aviation companies in the world. Her job entails a variety of work including inspecting the airplanes working with the controls and overhauling engines to extend their durability. “It’s not as hard as you would think, we have machinery for everything. I also work on one of the biggest airplanes out there, which is a cargo aircraft, the C-17. Those airplanes are really big. So, you would see me and I’m like 5’1. I’m this petite girl working on them, and it’s actually a good thing because I fit easily onto the aircrafts,” she said. While navigating work, Rodriguez is also the current Miss Texas Latina which she won last summer. She’s been able to utilize her title by making numerous appearances at local events and volunteering in the community with organizations like Dress for Success and Cerebral Palsy USA.
She has also partnered with the San Antonio International Airport by helping teach children about the different jobs in aviation and is involved with the Women in Aviation Alamo City Chapter, “I met a lot of women in this organization and I met Olga Custodio, the first Latina military pilot in the United States and she encouraged me to become a pilot,” Rodriguez said. As Miss Texas Latina, Rodriguez is grateful for the experience and opportunity and loves working with director Natalia Castillo. “I think pageantry builds a lot of skills from leadership to communication to modeling and fitness,” she said. Adding “I’m very happy to have this opportunity to grow as a person and Natalia is a big role model for all of us and the community. She showed me that it was okay to cry, and being that I’m an immigrant who had to overcome a lot of obstacles myself without my family, that I could still be this strong woman and still be vulnerable at the same time because that’s where strength comes from. I also still have some broken English here and there and have an accent which I used to be embarrassed of but I embrace it now. I love my accent.”
Going forward, Rodriguez has dreams and plans of potentially becoming a commercial pilot and will represent the State of Texas at the Miss U.S. Latina pageant later this year. She is also working on a bilingual children’s book in aviation and STEM and runs Allebrijes Accessories, her accessories pop-up shop. Some of her favorite things about Texas? “The Latino community in Texas was the first place that welcomed me to the U.S., and it didn’t take long for me to feel right at home. The large Latino community made sure I never felt alone, even though I came here by myself there was always someone cheering me on or supporting me. Texas is where I found my people, my confidence, and some of the best memories of my life.” Rodriguez said.
If you’re out in San Antonio you may find Rodriguez engaging in hobbies such as modeling, or at her favorite restaurants and interacting with the community or even salsa dancing, “I’ve met some amazing Latinos and built a close family traveling, which fuels my sense of adventure and responsibility as a small-town girl and the first Mexican American in my family to live life to the fullest. Modeling has also allowed me to express my creativity, and my love for fashion and volunteering keeps me connected to my community. Whether it’s mentoring, hosting/attending fundraisers, or speaking at STEM events, I enjoy anything that lets me grow, give back, and leave a positive impact.”
Follow Allegra on Instagram here.
