Mariela Pepin will be representing Miss Maryland USA at the upcoming Miss USA pageant. Pepin, who was born in Puerto Rico, was previously Miss Maryland Teen USA 2014. She was preceded as Miss Maryland USA by Brittinay Nicolette, who finished in the Top 15 in Miss USA.
The 23-year-old Severn native graduated from Towson University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Studies.
According to her Miss USA bio, Pepin “hopes to advocate for the implementation of resources for the development and sustainment of confidence in girls across the nation” if she claims the Miss USA 2019 title.
You can follow Mariela and learn more about her journey by clicking follow on Instagram or heading on over to her official Twitter account.
They say your dreams don’t work unless you do, and I’ve worked so hard leading up to this very moment; towards the fulfillment of this dream. It has all culminated in this amazing experience and I am so ready for this dream to come true! Tune in this Thursday, May 2nd at 8PM LIVE from #RenoTahoe, only on Fox! 
and SWIPE to see my on stage looks, plus some behind-the-scenes photos!
#MissUSA #RenoTahoe @renotahoe @missusa
you’ll have to wait to see me in my @sinesiakarol competition suit, but until then here’s a swim shot by @curtissbryant 
Can’t wait to share the photos!
Do I really have to go back home???
#HYFVE #HYFVEGirl #Fav_Lux #Double_Zero_Clothing
#SwipeLeft to see more! 
#SwipeLeft
Miss USA takes place Thursday, May 2, 2019, at Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada. It will be the 68th Miss USA pageant, and the second pageant to be held concurrently with the Miss Teen USA competition. The pageant will air live on FOX. The Miss Universe pageant will take place on a yet-to-be-determined date in South Korea. The reigning Miss Universe is Catriona Gray, who represented the Philippines, while Miss USA going to Nebraska’s Sarah Rose Summers.
The Miss USA competition is one of the premier beauty pageants in both the United States and in the world. First founded in the year 1952, the Miss USA pageant was famously owned b President Donald Trump from 1996 to 2015 before the rights to the pageant were sold to WME/IMG. Previously broadcast by NBC, the Miss USA beauty pageant now resides on Fox.
The pageant is structured the same as any traditional beauty pageant, as it includes swimsuit, gown, and interview competitions.
Each year, the winner of the Miss USA beauty pageant represents the United States of America in the Miss Universe.