Vanessa Hernandez, a member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, was crowned Miss New Mexico on April 24 and will compete in the Miss United States National Pageant on August 4. Photo from Ski Apache / Facebook

Vanessa Hernandez, a member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, will compete in the Miss United States National Pageant.

Hernandez, 26, won the right to compete in the pageant after being crowned Miss New Mexico on Sunday. She also holds the title of Miss Otero County, the county where the tribe is based.

Hernandez, a graduate of New Mexico State University, works for the Inn of the Mountain Gods, a gaming facility and resort owned by the tribe. She was sponsored by her employer in the Miss New Mexico contest.

"I’m so excited to be able to represent a tribe on a state level and now I’m going to be able to represent my tribe in New Mexico at a national level," Hernandez told The Ruidoso News.

The Miss United States National Pageant takes place August 4 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Hernandez crowned Miss New Mexico (The Ruidoso News 4/29)