Crowning achievement

Miss Texas crowns first immigrant-born winner at 2024 pageant

Annette Addo-Yobo was crowned Miss Texas 2024 by Ellie Breaux, Miss Texas 2023.

Facebook/Miss Texas 2023

Annette Addo-Yobo, a 26-year-old woman born in Ghana, was crowned Miss Texas 2024, becoming the first United States immigrant to earn the title.

Addo-Yobo represented the Dallas suburb of Southlake in the statewide scholarship pageant, held Saturday, June 29 at the Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson. She will now go on to compete in Miss America.

"I am humbled, honored, and grateful to serve as your 87th Miss Texas!," she posted on Instagram on June 30. "I made history last night as the first immigrant-born and first Ghanaian Miss Texas, and I hope to continue making history with the Texas community and the Miss Texas class."

Addo-Yobo’s family emigrated from the West African nation of Ghana in 1999, and she became a naturalized American just two years ago.

“My parents and I [immigrated] to the United States when I was just shy of two years old,” she writes in her bio on the Miss Southlake Instagram page. “We had two suitcases and a few hundred dollars. A few years later, my family of three turned to a family of 5, and we moved to Canada and lived there for eight years. In 2010, my parents made the decision to chase the American dream one more time and we moved to Texas.

“I didn’t become a U.S. Citizen until 2022, when I was 24 years old. I lost out on many opportunities as a teenager and college student because of my citizenship status, including competing in the Miss America Opportunity. But I’m grateful to be an American, thankful for the new opportunities..."

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After she gained U.S. citizenship, she competed in the 2023 Miss Texas pageant as Miss Dallas.

Addo-Yobo calls herself an “avid learner” who holds a bachelor of science in psychology and child learning & development with a minor in criminology from The University of Texas at Dallas and a master's in clinical psychology from Sam Houston State University. She also earned a certificate from the Lyndon B. Johnson Women’s Campaign School at the University of Texas at Austin. “I’m currently finishing my MBA at Lamar University and will begin law school in the fall,” her bio (published before she won Miss Texas) says.

As winner of Miss Texas, she will receive a $30,000 scholarship.

Addo-Yobo also is an autism advocate whose real-life experiences informed both her Miss Texas advocacy platform and her on-stage talent - performing a powerful self-written monologue about her brother’s autism journey.

“My younger brother, Andrew, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder when I was about six years old. Since then, I have learned a lot about Autism and how to be an advocate,” she writes in her bio. “A dangerous and life-threatening wandering incident involving my brother led me to develop The SPARK Project, to include autism safety in the conversation of autism awareness.”

Addo-Yobo is also open about her personal mental health journey, recounting in a UTD alumni publication her struggles with depression exacerbated by the loss of her mother in recent years.

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Addo-Yobo was crowned Miss Texas wearing a stunning yellow evening gown with a cape, a nod to her homeland.

“Donning Yellow, Miss Southlake Annette is presenting a symbol of Prosperity,” the Miss Southlake organization posted on Instagram ahead of the final round. “Ghana is known as the Gold Coast, and in the triband flag of Ghana (🇬🇭), Gold symbolizes the mineral rich land prior to colonialism. Adorned in her yellow Sherri Hill Couture, Annette carries with her a rich and prosperous legacy of resilience as she strives to become the first immigrant-born Miss Texas.”

She beat out more than 50 other contestants from around the state and was crowned by Ellie Breaux, Miss Texas 2023, who came in first runner-up at the most recent Miss America.

“Annette, your path to this title was always clear, and I know you will wear that crown with so much poise and grace,” Breaux wrote on Facebook. “Your journey inspires countless others. Texas is truly fortunate to have you represent us, and I can’t wait to be there cheering you on at Miss America!”

Rounding out the top five at Miss Texas 2024 were:

First runner-up: Miss Space City, Chloe Burke
Second runner-up: Miss Southeast Texas, Anyssa Mujica
Third runner-up: Miss Plano, Sadie Schiermeyer
Fourth runner-up: Miss Burleson, Nicole Wingard

southlake annette addo beauty miss texas texas university-texas yobo women's health

Hottest Headlines of 2025

Houston billionaires' big gift leads our top 10 society stories of 2025

Photo courtesy of The Kinder Foundation

Richard Kinder has surpassed Tilman Fertitta to become the richest billionaire in Houston in 2025.

Editor's note: From celebrating a beloved steakhouse's 10th anniversary to an incredible declaration of philanthropy by Houston billionaires, Houston’s society scene sizzled this year. Houstonians came out to support a variety of charitable causes, mix and mingle, and show their Houston pride. There were tennis tournaments, wine dinners, fashion shows, and other festivities, marking milestones and demonstrating once again the city’s dedication to supporting its own.

Read on for Houston's 10 hottest society headlines of 2025.

1. Houston billionaires will donate almost entire fortune to charity. Houston billionaire philanthropists Rich and Nancy Kinder made headlines when they told ABC 13’s Melanie Lawson that they would give away 95 percent of their fortune. Longtime supporters of education, civic life, and the arts, the Kinders have been donors to several Houston charities and institutions, including the Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Emancipation Park, and Rice University, where a center for urban research is named for them.

2. Top Houston steakhouse toasts 10 years with a mayoral proclamation. When the Washington Avenue steakhouse B&B Butchers celebrated its 10th anniversary back in October, it did so with a bash that included fine dining, live music, and killer views of downtown from the upstairs terrace. Before the festivities, Mayor John Whitmire presented Ben Berg, founder and CEO of Berg Hospitality Group, with an official City of Houston proclamation declaring October 21, 2025, as B&B Butchers Day.

3. Bayou a Drink? Cocktails in Bloom draws a colorful crowd of Houstonians. Nearly 200 supporters gathered for the fourth annual Cocktails in Bloom event at Lost Lake in June, a benefit for the Buffalo Bayou Partnership. Guests dressed in garden-party glam strolled the lakeside scene, sipping libations from Flora and Giant Texas Distillers, and enjoying bites from Barbacana, Burger Bodega, Kin Dee, and more.

4. Houston Symphony fires up new season in Stravinsky-inspired style. In a spectacular event marking the opening of the Houston Symphony’s 2025-26 season, the orchestra took inspiration from Stravinsky’s famed The Firebird, transforming Jones Hall and Corinthian Houston into an homage to the composer’s mythical milieu. Black-tie-clad guests posed in front of a giant bird on their way into the concert hall, and were then transported to The Corinthian for a spectacular dinner by City Kitchen with radiant decor by The Events Company.

5. Houston charity’s Pearls of Wisdom gala is a real gem of a night. July’s Pearls of Wisdom gala was an Italian-inspired evening to benefit Vita Living, an organization dedicated to helping individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. From the color-splashed cocktail hour, to a live auction that included a six-night escape to a riverfront condo near Beaver Creek, the event raised a record-breaking $207,000 for the organization.

6. Houston survivors shine at Texas Children’s Salute to Champions luncheon. Runway radiance took center stage at The Revaire in October for the 14th Annual Salute to Champions Luncheon and Fashion Show. The event was a fundraiser for Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Center. Fashions provided by Dillard's dressed the Patient Champions, while Tootsies styled the Community Champions.

7.Cultural fashion takes center stage at Runway to Asia in Houston. Asia Society Texas’s first-ever Runway to Asia saw more than 300 guests at The Post Oak Hotel, raising more than $300,000 for the center’s programming, which celebrates cultural diversity through art. Attendees enjoyed a three-course lunch before a catwalk presentation honoring Danny Nguyen, Houston’s own silhouettist supreme, and international fashion luminary Zang Toi.

8. Lavish brunch party raises nearly $1M for Houston’s homeless animals. PetSet’s September “Le Brunch” fundraiser was a sunshine-filled fête, at Le Tesserae, helping the organization support Houston’s fight against animal homelessness. The inaugural daytime event blended laid-back glam with serious fundraising muscle. Nearly $1 million was raised to fund PetSet’s critical grant program, which supports rescue groups and shelters across Texas.

9. Wine and resilience shine at Houston nonprofit's glamorous soirée. More than 250 oenophiles turned out at The Astorian for the Women’s Fund10th Annual Wine Dinner. Among the highlights: the Madam Zero Champagne Wall, doling out deBoulle gift cards and a private champagne tasting, and a silent auction where guests could bid on year-long date nights, Zadok's bling, and more. The evening raised $485,000, more than double last year's total.

10. A-list Houston crowd enjoys posh amenities at River Oaks tennis tournament. The River Oaks Men's Clay Court Championship held at the storied River Oaks Country Club is the only remaining Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour played on clay courts. The event blended tennis, shopping, fashion, and socializing.

Photo courtesy of The Kinder Foundation

Richard Kinder is now the richest Houstonian, according to Forbes.

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