Read About Rachel Evangelisto, The First Indigenous Woman Crowned Miss Minnesota

The pageant for Miss Minnesota was recently held in June and Rachel Evangelisto, who won the title of Miss Winona (also becoming the first Indigenous woman to win Miss Winona) was crowned the winner. Rachel, who is Húŋkpapȟa Lakota and an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, was shocked and cried as she was announced the winner, becoming the first Indigenous woman to win in the 86-year history of the pageant.

The Star Tribune recently wrote an article congratulating Rachel and providing more on her story. Rachel, 25, who seems to be beautiful inside and out, did not always have it easy. Star Tribune’s article states when Rachel was “a child, Evangelisto often told people that she was Italian to avoid backlash from her peers.” But once Rachel became a student at the University of Minnesota, she was able to find confidence in her identity as there was more representation around her.

Before attending the University of Minnesota, back when Rachel was young, she knew she wanted to prove that she was a person capable of something. The article states she “has enrolled in pageants since she was a child in Aberdeen, S.D. When she started, she said, she did not have a lot of support, but that motivated her to work harder.” Rachel’s independence, confidence, and embrace of her identity rounded her into the wonderful woman she is now. Because of this, she “works as an Indian Child Welfare Act guardian, where she is a court-appointed advocate for Indigenous children involved in foster care and child protection. She plans to attend Mitchell Hamline School of Law in the fall and said she hopes to represent Indigenous children as an attorney” according to the Star Tribune article.

All information about Rachel and more provided from the Star Tribune article, here. Check it out to learn more about Rachel and what others had to say about her accomplishment!