If Tanya Crespo makes it all the way through law school, and there's no doubt she will, she'll be one of the most beautiful attorneys to grace a courtroom. Crespo's desire to study law, combined with her recent crowning as Ms. Belleza Latina 2002, puts her on a promising track that could carry her very far. Crespo won the first ever Ms. Belleza Latina national pageant, standing out from a field of 25 contestants in Orlando, Fla., this past November, 2001. She's a student of paralegal sciences at Chicago's Roosevelt University. Not only is she aiming for a career in law while succeeding as a beauty queen, she is also dedicated to improving family welfare.

"Every year, two million American children are reported abused and neglected. My chosen platform is to educate children and make them aware of the prevalent social issues so that their loved ones are guarded with tools of prevention," said Crespo about her passion for children, which was evident in a recent appearance on behalf of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. At the children's festival in a DCFS office in West Humboldt Park, Crespo told a group of children how she became a beauty queen, and she took her photo next to little girls wearing her crown. Crespo realizes her image as a beauty pageant winner looms as a large responsibility. "One of the most important qualities for a good role model is having the courage to succeed through diligence and self-empowerment. A good role model displays leadership qualities in all situations, especially in the face of adversity. And as a role model I dedicate my life to helping others in need," she said.

Before becoming Ms. Belleza Latina, the 26-year-old Crespo was the queen of Chicago's Puerto Rican Parade in 1999. Myriam Santiago, who coordinated the pageant for 11 years, recalls Crespo's clear leadership among the contestants. "You could tell right away that the girls looked up to Tanya. She was on time for every event, she spread a lot of cheer, and she carried herself like a winner. The parade committee saw in her what they wanted from their queen: a bright, bilingual college student with great promise. Santiago said the Brooklyn-born, Chicago-raised Crespo had never been to Puerto Rico until she joined the parade committee delegation on its annual visit to the island. "She was so excited. I'm so happy that she has represented Puerto Rican women so very well," said Santiago.

Crespo is the second of three daughters born to Raquel, a single mother. This matters to Crespo a great deal, since the Ms. Belleza Latina pageant welcomes contestants who are also mothers (although Tanya is single and without children). Pageant founder Maria Torres saw a need to create a competition for beautiful Latinas who were not accepted by other contests because of their status as moms.

"Although we do not advocate single parenting, we understand this is prevalent in our culture and do not exclude Latinas in that situation from participating in our pageant. We were the first pageant of its kind to allow single mothers and it has received extremely positive response from contestants," said Torres about the pageant's policy. She noted that one other latina pageant system actually changed their criteria about single mothers. "I guess imitation is the best form of flattery," she said of the example Ms. Belleza Latina has set from its home base in Troy, Michigan. Torres also had very flattering words regarding Crespo, whom she met at the end of Tanya's reign as queen of the Puerto Rican Parade. "She carried herself with a high level of poise, grace and charm, which are strong qualities for a queen," Torres said. "She understands what it means to carry a national title and is prepared to deal with the busy schedule it could entail."

Crespo's schedule in the near future may include a trip to the Puerto Rican Parade in New York City next summer, provided that sponsorship arrangements are finalized. She will be attending the Miss USA coronation ball on March 1, according to Torres. As established by the Ms. Belleza Latina national pageant, the reigning queen serves as host to the next pageant, so Crespo will welcome the contest to Chicago in 2003.

During her reign, she wants to make sure that the importance of a good education is a highlight of many of her speeches before groups throughout the country. "Education is a great value my mother has instilled in me," Crespo said. "I'll continue to instill in others that education is the key to progress both personally and professionally, and that whatever you dream, it can come true with self-determination, motivation and perseverance."