by Danita White

Mrs. Collin County 2020, Brooklyn Rivera, has been crowned the new Mrs. Texas. After coming in as 1st runner up last year, the wife, mom of four, and business owner beat out her competition this past weekend to claim the crown.

Since she was a young girl, Brooklyn has been involved in pageantry – using it as a catalyst to boost self confidence and promote what matters to her. Born in Covington, Georgia, her parents relocated to Florida when she was 10. At 22, Brooklyn moved to Texas and has called it home ever since.

She uses the platforms from her competitions to promote issues that are close to her heart, one of which is mental health awareness for veterans, first responders, and their families.

In a video uploaded to her Instagram page, Brooklyn explained why she was competing to be the next Mrs. Texas America. “Not only do I help my community, but I’m an advocate for the 22KILL organization,” she shared. “If you don’t know what the 22KILL organization is, it is a nonprofit organization that helps prevent and combat the suicide rate in our veterans and our first responders. On average, 22 veterans or first responders commit suicide daily and that’s just too many. One is too many and as a veteran wife and a military mom to a bonus son who is a United States Marine it is my job to keep our heroes alive. Through the pageant, I’ve been able to use my voice and use my platform in bigger and better ways than I could have ever imagined.”

Brooklyn is also the owner of women’s clothing boutique, 17:20, which will celebrate four years of being in business this October. 17:20 ships to anyone across the U.S., is budget-friendly, and caters to women of all sizes. “I love it,” Brooklyn says about running a business and being her own boss. “It’s challenging. It’s grown me in ways. But I’ve made it so my family is involved.”

Because if winning pageants and running a business wasn’t enough to keep her busy, Brooklyn is also a devoted wife to U.S. Marine Corps veteran Eddie Rivera and loving mom of four. 21-year-old Kage, Eddie Rivera’s son from a previous relationship, who is an active-duty U.S. Marine.; 9-year-old daughter, Rhema; and sons Kamron, age 4, and Maverick, 2.

The 2020 competition was held August 13-15 at Palace Theater in Corsicana, Texas. Due to COVID-19, this year’s pageant was unable to have an in person audience. But supporters were able to tune in and watch live online as both the Prelims and Finals were streamed at mrstexas.net.

With her state crown and title in hand, Brooklyn now has her sights set on the national Mrs. America stage. Power 77 is proud to have been a featured sponsor of Brooklyn Rivera (read our full interview with her here) and we look forward to continuing our support of her as she takes the next steps in this incredible journey.