Owen Campbell chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about repping the state of Vermont in the 2026 Mister USA competition. This year’s pageant will be held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada in mid-July.
Mister USA
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.
It believes 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 competing for Mister USA, Campbell exclaimed, “Honestly, it feels pretty crazy. I am extremely excited. It still feels pretty surreal. This wasn’t really something that I had expected. Last summer, I was at a point of a lot of change. I was just done with track and field, I was out of a relationship and I was figuring out where my next move is going to be after this year for college.”
“So, this felt like it caught me off guard at first. It’s incredibly exciting,” he admitted. “I feel that Mister USA came into a point in my life where a lot of things are changing and there’s a lot of good change and opportunities on the table. So, it feels like there’s no better time.”
“I’m already getting outside my comfort zone, transferring to university in the fall,” he said. “So, it gives me another opportunity to get outside my comfort zone. Now, if I can talk to people more successful than me that have done more in their lives, and those are my competitors, and I can get along with them and bring the best version of myself, then hopefully I can do the same with my classmates at San Diego State.”
“So, I think it gives me a big opportunity to challenge myself of getting outside my comfort zone, and it’s really exciting,” he added.
Representing Vermont
On repping Vermont, Campbell said, “It feels pretty cool. I got reached out to late in the process. I’m definitely a kid that is born and raised Huntington Beach, California. You can tell by the sound of my voice and the color of my hair, but New England honestly played a massive role in my life.”
“So, I attended Suffolk University in downtown Boston during my freshman year of college. While I only spent a year out there, it was probably one of the most defining chapters of my whole entire life. When I went out there, I competed in track and field and I made so many close friends,” he elaborated.
“Honestly, it was the first time in my life where I was different. Growing up here, I looked like the stereotypical Huntington Beach kid. So going out there, not knowing a single person out there, it gave me a chance to really find myself,” he noted.
“Ever since I’ve left, I felt like I left a big part of my heart in New England. I’m excited to get this chance to represent that and everything that I gained and was able to experience in New England. So, it means a lot to me and it feels like a full circle moment,” he added.
Advocacy for Mister USA
On his advocacy for this year’s Mister USA, Campbell said, “My advocacy is that I want to put out a message that I really resonate with. For me, that has been building confidence, self-belief, and security within fitness and working out. So, when I started off high school, I was around 125 pounds playing football at Edison High School, one of the top public schools in the whole country for football.”
“In my senior year, we’re in the top playoff bracket. So, as a small, skinny kid, I really had to step up when I got there. I had to pick up the fork and I had to start eating, hit the weights and really give it everything I’ve got. So at first, fitness was kind of just about putting on size and strength. So, I wouldn’t keep getting lit up every practice, but over time, it has really become a pillar for who I am,” he elaborated.
“It kind of spills into every part of my life. With training, I feel like it changed the way I carry myself, gave me confidence and structure and sense of self-respect. I want young men to understand that confidence is something that you build. You’re not necessarily born with that. The truth is I’ve got all that confidence because I started as a skinny kid, so like anyone else, and through years of hard work and dedication to myself and my betterment, I’ve been able to justify means for confidence,” he explained.
“These are things that anyone can build. So I think Mister USA gives me a chance to bring that message to a bigger platform and help out a lot of kids that feel that same way that I did,” he added.
Campbell on why he should win Mister USA
When asked why he should win this year’s Mister USA pageant, he responded, “That’s a good question. I think I would be a very strong representative because I bring authenticity, discipline and a real message. I’m not trying to say that I’m perfect. All I’m trying to do is be real, trying to be relatable to people who are just like me. I think that’s a lot stronger than trying to put myself above everyone else.”
“I know what it feels like to lack confidence and I know what it feels like to build it through fitness and discipline. I also know what it feels like to go through setbacks and rebuild, to go through adversity and still choose what you have a choice between being the boxer or the bag,” he elaborated.
“Even when life wants to make you a bag, you get to choose to be the boxer. So I want people to know that message. I think my ability to be authentic, to be disciplined, and to bring little habits into day-to-day life is a big reason why I should win. Trying to show people that ordinary people can do extraordinary things,” he added.
Success
Regarding his definition of success, Campbell said, “Success means a lot of things to me. For me, I think that success means keeping promises to yourself. I think it’s not just about trophies or followers or money, titles, or external validation. It’s not about the fancy car and the bombshell wife, right? Those things can be great and they can be cool to show to yourself later on. They really don’t mean much if you don’t respect the you’re becoming.”
“Success, to me, is knowing that you showed up when it mattered, that you stayed consistent when times got hard, and that you were resilient and became a person that you’re actually proud of. If you can’t be proud of the person that you are and respect the person that you want to become, then success is nothing,” he elaborated.
“All those external validations, all those objects and things, they mean nothing if you can’t have an internal respect for yourself and finding fulfillment in the person that you want to be,” he added.
Closing thoughts on Mister USA
For his supporters, Campbell expressed, “The one thing I want people to get out of my competing for Mister USA is that I’m not a finished product. I’m 20 years old, turning 21 tomorrow, and I’m still becoming the man that I want to be. I think that’s really cool because it presents a journey where after Mister USA is over, it’s not the finish line for me. It’s really just the start. I think that I want them to kind of understand that fitness is not just about building muscle.”
“Fitness is about building yourself, confidence, discipline, and gratitude,” he underscored. “One of the biggest things about me is that I’m very, very grateful. During my senior year of high school, I had a battle with sepsis right before football started. I was in the hospital. I lost 20 pounds and I was sick. If it weren’t for the grace of God and the amazing ability of the doctors in the hospital, honestly, I don’t know if I would still be here today.”
“So, that was one of the lessons that I kind of learned the hard way… to be grateful for the ups and the downs in life. That gave me the sense of gratitude that I carry with me every day of my life. I say the same prayer every night. It starts off with ‘thank you for a great day today and help me have a great day tomorrow.’ I say it on my best of days, I say on my worst of days, because the honest truth is if you’re here and you’re alive, you have an opportunity to better yourself and to choose to be the best person that you want to be,” he elaborated.
“So, I think that that gratitude and just the appreciation of life is something that I definitely want people to know about me.
To learn more about Owen Campbell, follow him on Instagram.
