At 71, Marissa Teijo is the oldest person to compete in Miss Texas USA. She says she hopes to inspire others

CNN — Bejeweled and sequined with her hair teased high, Marissa Teijo, 71, made history last weekend when she donned six-inch heels and walked across the stage of the Miss Texas USA competition, to thunderous applause.

“My team told me that I got a standing ovation,” Teijo told CNN. “All I know is that they were cheering.” The El Paso resident is the oldest contestant to ever compete in the pageant, its director told CNN.

Teijo’s age is not the only reason her participation broke barriers in the pageant world. She is also married, a mother and previously divorced – all previous disqualifiers until last year, when the Miss Texas USA rules changed, according to the pageant’s website.

Born in 1952, Teijo grew up on a cotton and maize farm in Lazbuddie, a small town in Northwest Texas. She is the second oldest of four children, and she and her siblings spoke English among themselves and Spanish to their parents, who migrated to the US from Mexico.