World Class American Royalty Magazine would like to welcome amazing Queen Ruth Castro Mrs. District of Columbia American 2023.
Full name: Ruth Castro Title/Year: Mrs. District of Columbia American 2023 Pageant System: Mrs. America Age: 43 Education Level: Graduate Level Zodiac sign: Leo Hobbies: Running, reading, baking Platform: Empowering through Storytelling Years competed: 2021-2023 Countries visited: Japan, Iraq, Mexico, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait Likes: Date nights, spending time with family, volunteering in local community, coaching and mentoring young women, signing up for half-marathons, sharing other people’s stories. Dislikes: Rude and mean people, negative attitudes, any type of abuse, cold food, black licorice. Status: Married World Class American Royalty Magazine: Please tell us about yourself. I am a first-generation Mexican American college graduate and first in my family to join the military. I grew up in a small town in Minnesota and learned English when I started school at the age of 7. My parents worked hard as migrant workers to give us a life that they did not have. I joined the Army when I was 18 years old and currently have 24 years of service and hold the rank of lieutenant colonel. I am married with four children ranging from 2-15. I recently published my first children’s book, My Mom Wears Combat Boots, and am founder of Catalina’s Playground. I also am the host for my podcast, The Dandelion Movement. World Class American Royalty Magazine: Please tell us about your education. I received my undergrad degree from Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi in 2003. After several years of contemplating grad school, I finally opted to apply and graduated with a Master of Arts Degree in Strategic Communications from Michigan State University. It was an amazing feeling having my children present at my graduation ceremony where I could show them that you are never too old to go to school and learn something new! World Class American Royalty Magazine: What does women Empowerment means to you?Women Empowerment means lifting each other up and supporting one another no matter what. There is no room for competition among women who are all trying to do their best in life. We should all applaud our successes, encourage during our failures, and love one another always. World Class American Royalty Magazine: Tell us about your pageant history. I began my pageant journey in the United States of America pageant system just a couple years ago. I competed as USOA’s Mrs. District of Columbia 2022 and as USOAs Mrs. East Coast 2023. I was encouraged to compete in the America system and was truly honored to be able to represent our nations capital once again as Mrs. District of Columbia American 2023. World Class American Royalty Magazine: What inspired you to do your first pageant? My daughter was competing in her first Teen pageant in the United States of America system and when we realized there was a Mrs. category, she wanted me to compete alongside her. I was five months post-partum with my fourth child during the state pageant and the thought of walking out on stage in a swimsuit was terrifying. I knew this was an opportunity to teach my daughter, and others, that we can do anything we set our minds out. What better way to encourage her to be her best, authentic, confident self than by leading by example and doing the same myself. World Class American Royalty Magazine: Why did you choose to compete for your current title? I am always looking for an opportunity to improve and better myself. Each time I compete, I learn something new about myself and I know I am making an impact within my home and my community. World Class American Royalty Magazine: To those unfamiliar with your pageant system please tell us what is it about? Mrs. America Pageant is the longest standing beauty pageant for married women. Each contestant from the 50 states and District of Columbia earns the right to compete at the national pageant by winning their state pageant. The winner then goes on to compete in the Mrs. World pageant. World Class American Royalty Magazine: What makes your director different from others? My director was very welcoming and kind. He reached out and ensured I was ready had all I needed, especially before our national’s competition. He took the time to sit down with me and go over last-minute wardrobe and interview strategy which really did help calm my nerves. World Class American Royalty Magazine: What are you being judged on during the competition? The three categories are interview, swimsuit, and evening gown. You are being judged on how well you present yourself, your confidence and how you’re able to communicate with the judges during interview. On stage, you are judge on how confident you are in swim and gown. You should always make sure you feel your best so you can do your best. World Class American Royalty Magazine: Tell us about your experience during the competition. My experience during America week was amazing. I met so many wonderful and accomplished women and gained many new friends. We truly bonded over the experience, and everyone was kind and willing to help one another. It truly is a sisterhood. World Class American Royalty Magazine: Who would you recommend your system to? If you are a married woman and have a passion for helping others and want to continue advocating for your platform, this system is for you. World Class American Royalty Magazine: Tell us about your platform or what cause do you volunteer for. My platform is Empowering through Storytelling. We all have a story to tell, and I love having the opportunity to share not only my story but the story of all the amazing women I meet along my journey. We never know we might be listening and needs to hear how we overcame certain obstacles because they themselves are facing the same or similar circumstances. This could be the reason they are empowered to take that first step towards planning to reach their goals or leave a situation. I volunteer with The Mission Continues, a non-profit organization that connects veterans with under-resourced communities to help improve educational resources, tackle food insecurity, and foster neighborhood identity. I also volunteer as a coach with Girls on the Run because I want to help empower young girls to be confident, kind and build great decision-making skills. World Class American Royalty Magazine: What appearances have you done with your title?I’ve attended various charity events to include WeModel USA, We Will Survive Cancer, and Man of the District. Various appearance at our local Washington National’s baseball games, Miami Hyundai Air & Sea Show, Army Birthday Festival, Memorial Day 5K, private practice for Washington Commanders and my absolute favorite attending the community back to school event for Ward 7 in Washington DC. World Class American Royalty Magazine: What are some of your achievements? I am first in my family to graduate from college and join the military. I am a published author and founder of a non-profit organization. Greatest achievement is being a mother to four beautiful children. World Class American Royalty Magazine: What makes you stand out from all those other beautiful girls? I am a bilingual, mother of four and a Lt. Col. in the U.S. Army who was lucky enough to meet her husband of 16 years while deployed to Iraq. World Class American Royalty Magazine: Tell us about the moment your name was called out as the winner. Knowing I would be representing our nations capital on the national stage in Vegas filled me with excitement. I will forever be grateful for this opportunity. World Class American Royalty Magazine: What does it mean to you to be a Beauty Queen?It’s an opportunity to be a role model and make a difference in our community and state. World Class American Royalty Magazine: How did competing in pageants help your life? Pageantry has helped build my network of friends but most importantly it has given me a voice I didn’t know I needed. The confidence you gain through pageantry is tremendous, I have taken steps to reach goals that I never thought were possible. World Class American Royalty Magazine: How did pageants helped your self-esteem and body image? Pageantry is all about being confident in your own skin and being your authentic self. Through pageantry, I learned to love my body, even at five months post-partum during my first pageant, walking across stage in a swimsuit. It didn’t matter what others thought of me, what mattered was that my daughters and other young girls saw that I was not afraid to show off my body with a smile on my face and confidence in each step. World Class American Royalty Magazine: You are an inspiration to all the girls out there. How does it feel? I strive to be the best version of me for my children and knowing that I can help inspire other young girls is truly amazing. World Class American Royalty Magazine: What is your on-stage strategy to win the judges over? The only strategy is to be myself, have fun and be confident. World Class American Royalty Magazine: How did you prepare for your competition? I worked with coached for interview and stage walking. I also worked out 5-6 times per week. I ensured I was mentally prepared by doing some meditation and journaling. World Class American Royalty Magazine: What are your tips for learning better pageant walk? My best tip is to have comfortable shoes, practice whenever you can and hire a coach if possible. If you are unable to hire a coach, there are various videos online that can help you with your pageant walk. It is important to note that there is a difference between a walk in swim and gown. World Class American Royalty Magazine: What are your tips for choosing right pageant dress? Choose a dress that makes you feel confident and beautiful in a color that stands out on your skin tone. You can look at previous winner to see what types of gowns they wore for competition but at the end of the day, it’s about what makes you feel your best and fits your body type. World Class American Royalty Magazine: What are your tips for winning interview? Be your authentic self and don’t have rehearsed answers. You want to have a conversation with the judges and not make it seem like everything you say is memorized. Maintain eye contact, sit up straight and smile. Knowing why you are there, their passion, your purpose will help you get through your interview with ease and allow the judges to connect with you. World Class American Royalty Magazine: What is one mistake that you've done during competing you wish you could redo and fix it? One mistake I made was using a new pair of heels for rehearsals. This is not a time to try new anything, but when it comes to heels, it is best to use a pair that has been broken in to avoid any issues with blisters on your feet. World Class American Royalty Magazine: What other mistakes are made by girls during the contest? I think one mistake that often occurs might be comparing ourselves to others. Whether it’s comparing wardrobe, body, hair, make-up….we are human and sometimes it’s hard to not compare ourselves. We must remember to be true to ourselves. World Class American Royalty Magazine: Any modeling or acting experience? I do not have any previous modeling or acting experience. World Class American Royalty Magazine: What are your plans for 2023 as a Queen? I plan to continue working within my community and making a difference where I can. I also plan to continue to share empowering stories that can offer hope and inspiration to those that need it through my podcast, The Dandelion Movement. World Class American Royalty Magazine: What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind? A legacy of resilience and perseverance. To be remembered as a role model within the Latino community; someone who paves the way and breaks barriers for future generations. I want to inspire others to dream big and never give up knowing they CAN achieve whatever they set their minds to. Your Local Director: Drew Vanlandingham Pageant website: Mrs. America | We Are Family (mrsamerica.com) Name of the Photographer and other credits: Paul Belletiere, MAVPP World Class American Royalty Magazine would like to say thank you for this amazing interview!
Ruth Castro Mrs. District of Columbia American 2023, World Class American Royalty Magazine, Photo by Paul Belletiere, MAVPP
Interview by Derek Tokarzewski
Owner/Editor in Chief
Mr WorldClass 2023
Mr United Nations 2018
Platform: Women Empowerment
