A 26-year-old Southlake woman has made history as Miss Texas 2024: Annette Addo-Yobo, born in Ghana, became the first United States immigrant to earn the title in the scholarship pageant, held Saturday, June 29 at the Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson and broadcast on WFAA.

Addo-Yobo, who represented Southlake, will now go on to compete for the Miss America crown.

"I am humbled, honored, and grateful to serve as your 87th Miss Texas!" she posted on Instagram on June 30. "I made history last night as the first immigrant-born and first Ghanaian Miss Texas, and I hope to continue making history with the Texas community and the Miss Texas class."

Addo-Yobo’s family emigrated from the West African nation of Ghana in 1999, and she became a naturalized American just two years ago.

“My parents and I [immigrated] to the United States when I was just shy of two years old,” she writes in her bio on the Miss Southlake Instagram page.

“We had two suitcases and a few hundred dollars. A few years later, my family of three turned to a family of 5, and we moved to Canada and lived there for eight years. In 2010, my parents made the decision to chase the American dream one more time and we moved to Texas.

“I didn’t become a U.S. Citizen until 2022, when I was 24 years old. I lost out on many opportunities as a teenager and college student because of my citizenship status, including competing in the Miss America Opportunity. But I’m grateful to be an American, thankful for the new opportunities..."

After she gained U.S. citizenship, she competed in the 2023 Miss Texas pageant as Miss Dallas.

Addo-Yobo calls herself an “avid learner” who holds a bachelor of science in psychology and child learning & development with a minor in criminology from The University of Texas at Dallas and a master's in clinical psychology from Sam Houston State University. She also earned a certificate from the Lyndon B. Johnson Women’s Campaign School at the University of Texas at Austin. “I’m currently finishing my MBA at Lamar University and will begin law school in the fall,” her bio (published before she won Miss Texas) says.

As winner of Miss Texas, she will receive a $30,000 scholarship.

Addo-Yobo also is an autism advocate whose real-life experiences informed both her Miss Texas advocacy platform and her on-stage talent: performing a powerful self-written monologue about her brother’s autism journey.

“My younger brother, Andrew, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder when I was about six years old. Since then, I have learned a lot about Autism and how to be an advocate,” she writes in her bio. “A dangerous and life-threatening wandering incident involving my brother led me to develop The SPARK Project, to include autism safety in the conversation of autism awareness.”

Addo-Yobo is also open about her personal mental health journey, recounting in a UTD alumni publication her struggles with depression exacerbated by the loss of her mother in recent years.

Addo-Yobo was crowned Miss Texas wearing a stunning yellow evening gown with a cape, a nod to her homeland.

“Donning Yellow, Miss Southlake Annette is presenting a symbol of Prosperity,” the Miss Southlake organization posted on Instagram ahead of the final round. “Ghana is known as the Gold Coast, and in the triband flag of Ghana (🇬🇭), Gold symbolizes the mineral rich land prior to colonialism. Adorned in her yellow Sherri Hill Couture, Annette carries with her a rich and prosperous legacy of resilience as she strives to become the first immigrant-born Miss Texas.”

She beat out more than 50 other contestants from around the state and was crowned by Ellie Breaux, Miss Texas 2023, who came in first runner-up at the most recent Miss America.

“Annette, your path to this title was always clear, and I know you will wear that crown with so much poise and grace,” Breaux wrote on Facebook. “Your journey inspires countless others. Texas is truly fortunate to have you represent us, and I can’t wait to be there cheering you on at Miss America!”

Rounding out the top five at Miss Texas 2024 were:

• First runner-up: Miss Space City, Chloe Burke
• Second runner-up: Miss Southeast Texas, Anyssa Mujica
• Third runner-up: Miss Plano, Sadie Schiermeyer
• Fourth runner-up: Miss Burleson, Nicole Wingard