Rachel Barcellona will be the first contestant with autism to compete in the Miss Florida competition this June.
Rachel did pageants when she was a little girl but stopped when she got to middle school because she was suffering from depression and anxiety.
She re-entered the pageant world when during her teenage world, and it gave her a new found confidence.
Barcellona has her dressed picked out, and her opera voice is ready for the talent portion.
Rachel is a junior at the University of South Florida and works at the Glazer Children’s Museum.
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(WFLA)