Pageant News Bureau - Cindy Vela

Americans take pride in their communities. They cheer for their home teams and hold festivals to celebrate their hometown history. They write songs about loving New York, or leaving a heart in San Francisco, or trying to get back to San Jose.

Sometimes, proud local people go to great lengths to help a town get the recognition it deserves. That's what happened in 2001 to the vibrant community of Brownsville, Texas. It was nominated as an All-America City, competing to be recognized as a great place to live by the National Civic League.

Cindy Vela

In the competition, people from each of the nominated cities traveled to Atlanta and addressed a "jury" about their town's virtues. There were 30 nominated cities, and an array of VIPs showed up to make the case for each community.

All the cities had something to boast about, but Brownsville had something extra. It had Cindy Vela, Miss Latina Look of the USA. Clad in traditional Mexican-American attire, she symbolized the bi-cultural heritage of her home city. The members of the jury listened attentively, and some of them even managed to take their eyes away from Ms. Vela long enough to jot down a few notes. That's dedication.

There were 10 winning cities at the competition, and Brownsville was one of them. Maybe you guessed that. But even if you're not a city person, even if you live three hours from the nearest one-horse town, you're probably glad you read this report. Because just like the members of the jury, you got a chance to see Cindy Vela.

Civic-minded Cindy