“It is not just about being the first through the door, it is about making sure it stays open for those who follow," said Mount St. Mary's University senior Jazlyn Leonso.
This month Leonso was crowned as Miss Frederick County 2025, under the Miss American Organization. She is the first Latina young woman to be chosen as Miss Frederick County.
“Being crowned Miss Frederick means everything to me. As the first Latina titleholder, it is an honor to represent a community I love so deeply,” shared Leonso.
Leonso, a politics, philosophy and economics major, is an active and dedicated member of the Mount community.
She has twice served as president of the Mount’s Student Government Association. She is a part of multiple clubs and organizations on campus that celebrate and promote students of various backgrounds, including serving as a member of the Women in Leadership’s executive board.
Leonso is driven when it comes to representation for the Latino community. She founded H.E.A.R.T.—Hispanic Excellence Achieving Representation Together—as a resource for Hispanic, immigrant and first-generation college students seeking leadership development, mentorship and educational resources.
This is not her first pageant win. As a sophomore in 2023, she was crowned America’s Ideal Miss Maryland. She is planning to compete in the Miss Maryland pageant this summer.
Leonso's reign as Miss Frederick County comes with $4,000 in scholarships, and a wider platform to promote inclusion and representation.
“I hope to show young women, especially those who have never seen someone who looks like them in certain spaces, that they belong exactly where they are called to be,” she shared.