MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee native Nora Godoy-Gonzalez was named Ms. Mexican Fiesta Ambassador 2022 at Friday's Mexican Fiesta Opening Ceremony.
Godoy-Gonzalez said she grew up coming to Mexican Fiesta and never imagined that one day she'd hold the ambassador role.
"Being a daughter of immigrants I saw the hardships that my parents went through, that my community went through, so now that I'm privileged enough to have a degree and amazing career I really want to give back," she said.
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She will now carry on the responsibility of promoting Mexican culture in Milwaukee. She'll also work with Wisconsin Hispanic Scholarship Foundation (WHSF) recipients. WHSF is the organization behind Mexican Fiesta. The festival is the largest fundraiser for the scholarship fund which has given out about $2 million in scholarships to Hispanic students in Wisconsin.
Godoy-Gonzalez was also a scholarship recipient when she was in school. Today she works with Journey house to help empower children and families on Milwaukee's near south side.
"It's really important to be a role model for the community you come from," Godoy-Gonzalez said.
She hopes to take the work she already does, and do it on a larger scale in her role as Ms. Mexican Fiesta.
"I want to work with students who are very similar to my background and inspire them to do whatever they're interested in. The arts, if they're interested in tech, if they're interested in the trades, learning how to dye hair, learning how to do acrylic nails, whatever it is, make sure they're doing it at their full potential," Godoy-Gonzalez said.
She will hold the title until next year's celebration.
