Miss Rio Grande Valley and TikTok star Bryceidee Leos is using her educational journey to inspire others. 

Leos was introduced to the world of pageants as a kid thanks to her mom.

"So, she actually put me in one pageant and I lost. I was maybe 4 or 5 years old, and I lost and I was really upset about it," Leos said. "So my mom was like, 'Yeah no, I don't want to see you cry.' So, she took me out."

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But that didn't stop her.

"When I turned 18, I was like, 'Mom I want to compete again,'" Leos said. 

And she's still going.

"So, I just competed in Miss Texas USA 2022 and it was against 88 girls here from the Valley and from different parts of Texas," Leos said. 

It's actually the pageant world that introduced Leos to the world of higher education.

"So, my family, they came from Nuevo Leon, Mexico, and they're just — education was not in their plans. They're very self-made," Leos said. "They never forced it on me or my little brother and that's something that definitely sparked a change in me and I wanted to make that change for my family. I wanted my brother to go to college. I wanted him to have many opportunities and I knew I had to step up."

"I actually got a scholarship from one of the pageants I did, which kind of sparked it in me to enroll in college," Leos continued. "I am majoring in PR and Marketing, obviously. I am also known as the TikTok girl here at STC, and it's something I enjoy so much."

Leos now makes viral content on TikTok and other social media platforms for the school.

"Thanks to Generation Z, we got this new content creator job at STC and I said I want to do it," Leos said. "We actually have so many followers on TikTok, and it just keeps growing, the institution, it just keeps growing my message of higher education, which it all comes together."

Even after graduation, it's likely you'll still see Leos around campus.

"I want to be the president of the PR and Marketing department here," Leos said. "I already told them, 'I'm coming for their job one day."

Bryceidee Leos: Made in the 956.