Sebastian Barraza chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about representing Florida in the 2025 Mister USA competition.
Mister USA pageant
Mister USA is an American beauty pageant, which is held annually, and the winner goes on to represent the United States in the Mister Universe competition. It is a celebration of culture, diversity, beauty, intelligence and empowerment. They believe in the power of young leaders to make a difference in the world. It is not solely about outer beauty; it recognizes the inner beauty and intelligence of their contestants.
On being a part of the 2025 Mister USA competition, he said, “It’s crazy, honestly. I would have never expected to be doing anything close to this ever. So it’s really nice.”
Repping Florida
This year, Barraza won the most fan votes to represent the state of Florida in the forthcoming 2025 Mister USA pageant, which will be held in Los Angeles in July.
Barraza went on to share his connection to Florida. “I was born in Florida but my whole family is from Argentina,” he noted. “My parents came here to the United States for better opportunities and for a better way of life.”
“I’ve lived my whole life in Florida, and I will never leave,” he admitted. “I want to live in Miami for the rest of my life. I love the fact that I am representing something that I am super passionate about. I love the culture down here and everything about it.”
‘Temptation Island’ experience
On being a part of “Temptation Island,” he said, “That was great. It was the best experience that I’ve ever had. They filmed it in Hawaii, so it was beautiful.”
“I literally got ‘paid’ to ruin a relationship in Hawaii, basically,” he said with a sweet laugh. “I lived in a beautiful villa with beautiful people in a beautiful location.”
Advocacy for Mister USA
On his advocacy for Mister USA, he remarked, “What I feel really comfortable is being comfortable with yourself and in your own skin. It is about being confident and representing the confidence in being yourself.”
“In this generation, men are pressured into an idea of what they have to be to be a ‘man,’ and as long as you are unapologetically yourself and you believe in what you believe in, then that’s okay. I try to make people feel confident in themselves,” he added.
Defining moments
When asked about his defining moments, he responded, “The moments that defined me was when I started getting all the following and recognition on social media. That’s what helped me come out of my shell. Once I started getting a lot of followers, it helped me become more confident in myself. Then, I made a career about it.”
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, he revealed, “Patience.” “That’s the one thing I’ve always struggled with and I am trying to work on it,” he admitted.
Plans for the future
On his future plans, he shared, “Right now, I take things as I go. I set small goals; that’s my way. The main thing that I’ve been focused on is family, and being content with life.”
“I want to keep doing what I’m doing and trying to grow in a way where I am able to provide for my family,” he added.
Success
Regarding his definition of the word success, he stated, “Success to me is being able to provide for my future family. Success is having the people that you love around you. I want to be close to my parents, to my siblings and to my cousins. If I can have all of that, and be able to provide for them, then that’s success.”
Closing thoughts on Mister USA
Barraza remarked, “I want to inspire people to be confident in themselves. I am working on starting an underwear line for them, and its mission statement is for people to be confident in their skin, and what better way to do that than to start with what they put on first in the morning or when they get dressed.”
“No matter what culture or ethnicity or gender or sexual orientation you are, you can be confident in what you provide out there. It’s what you define for yourself and what makes you happy,” he concluded.
To learn more about Sebastian Barraza, follow him on Instagram.
