Now that she’s won the Miss UL Lafayette 2016 title, Kristal Marie Breaux is on her way to competing for her dream – Miss Louisiana USA.
‘This is one of the biggest dreams I’ve had since I was a little girl,” the Bayou Gauche native said.
Breaux is the daughter of Ken Breaux of Bayou Gauche and Sandra Garza of Baton Rouge. She is a 2013 graduate of Hahnville High School and is attending the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL) where she is pursuing a bachelor’s of science degree in psychology with a minor in child and family studies.
The pageantry bug bit Breaux hard when she won the Miss Catfish Festival title in 2014.
“It was either I won and kept going or it was a one-time thing,” Breaux said. “I won and fell in love with it, and wanted to keep doing bigger and bigger pageants.”
As Miss UL Lafayette, Breaux is spokesperson for her university, as well as serves as a positive role model for future students. Her first appearance as Miss UL-Lafayette 2016 was at a recent Ragin’ Cajun baseball home game, where she was honored to throw the first pitch.
She volunteers with New Hope Tutoring and is a sorority member of Alpha Omicron Pi. Breaux is also involved with Special Olympics, Juvenile Arthritis, and Arthritis Research philanthropy organizations.
From her latest win, Breaux goes on to compete for the Miss Louisiana USA title on Oct. 7 – 8 at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center. She will compete with 60 women for her dream title and she’s preparing for the challenge.If she takes the state title, Breaux said she will go after the Miss USA title.
“You practice, keep a healthy diet, a healthy lifestyle, practice your public speaking and interview skills, and do as much community service according to your platform as possible,” Breaux said.
Beauty runs more than skin deep for Breaux.
“You have to be well educated and have a good heart, be a good speaker, and all around great woman,” she said. “You have to represent your title with passion, pride and dignity.”
She’s also a home girl who proudly recounts her childhood in Bayou Gauche, at a student at Des Allemands Elementary School and HHS.
“I was a small town girl with big dreams,” Breaux said. “I was raised to work hard for anything I wanted to do – and here I am today.”
“I think everything I’ve done in the past to prepare for winning Miss UL has made me a better competitor, as well as a better role model for younger girls,” she said.
“Everything I will do from then and now will prepare me for the next challenge in pageantry.”
Pageantry is a great way to get her name out there, Breaux said, and being open to new opportunities and people, but she’s also practical about where her path will ultimately lead.
“Being a student comes first and foremost,” she said. “At the end of the day, you need to have a career in place.”
Bottom line for Breaux is, “If you have a dream in the world and work hard and put your mind to it, you can achieve all those dreams.”
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