This is not the only time Averie Bishop broke ground. Before winning Miss Texas Saturday, June 25, she was already the first Asian American Miss Lufkin in 2019 and Miss Dallas in 2020 in the Miss America pageant circuit. Her latest achievement is another win for diversity and representation in North Texas.
When asked by NBCDFW about her crowning, Bishop said, “Honestly overwhelming.” She described the moment as “an out-of-body experience,” adding, ”I just lost all grip of reality at that point.” This was her last year of eligibility, and the competition was also a race against time, making her victory even more significant.
Born and raised in McKinney, the daughter of a Filipino-immigrant mother and a fourth-generation Texan dad, Averie noticed early on that she didn’t see herself in her friends and teachers at her elementary school in Prosper. “It’s such an emotional feeling because when I was a kid, I never dreamed of becoming Miss Texas because I didn’t think that anyone looked like me as Miss Texas,” she said to NBCDFW.
A first-generation SMU law school graduate, Bishop is also an active content creator on TikTok and YouTube, giving a look at her life as a law student and beauty pageant contestant. Her platform is dedicated to promoting inclusion and diversity all across the Lone Star State with a powerful message: “To truly teach everyone in our state that a Texan can look like me, and a Texan can look like you.”
Now Bishop begins her year-long work as a statewide ambassador of the Texas Cares for Children Program. “I get to also expand my social impact initiative which is ‘Y’all Means All,’ and it emphasizes the importance of diversity and inclusion in our Lone Star State,” she said. And the representation couldn’t be in better hands. With her mom, Bishop has created the Tulon Foundation, a non-profit organization that aids children in third-world countries afford education.
This December, Bishop will grace the Miss America stage in Connecticut — another chance to break even more ground and showcase the diversity and excellence of Texas.
