- Esmeralda Solís Gonzáles was crowned a beauty queen last year
- She has abandoned a career in modeling to dedicate her life to God
- She says although she was happier before, it does not compare to her happiness now
When 20-year-old Esmeralda Solís Gonzáles was crowned a beauty queen in her native town of Valle de Guadalupe in Mexico in 2016, what lay before her was a glamorous modeling career.
However, she has willingly abandoned that path and chosen to join the Catholic church to dedicate her life to God.
Esmeralda also left her job as a nutritionist when she joined the Poor Clare Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament of Cuernavaca in Morelos State.
Esmeralda Solís Gonzáles when she was crowned a beauty queen
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Her radical transformation story immediately went viral when it was shared on Miss Mexico's Facebook page about a week ago.
However, Esmeralda is unfazed by all the attention. Speaking during an interview, she said: “I was very happy with everything I had, but it does not compare with the happiness that God now places in my heart.”
Esmeralda (centre) with some missionaries at her convent
She added: “You really don't know what religious life is until you're within it. So far I have been able to see from another perspective what the world is and what it offers you."
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She first interacted with the Poor Clare Missionaries when she was 14 years old, and by March 2017, she was sure about her vocation to serve God and she happily accepted it.
Her radical transformation story has gone viral
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She said: “God's timing is perfect. During this time (of discernment) he allowed me to have some experiences such as being a beauty queen, and other experiences, which forever left their mark and which allowed me to learn a lot for what was to come later."
She urged young people to take up any vocations they feel like, and to not be afraid to take the huge step when the time comes.
Meanwhile, see this video of a woman who earns a living as a vulcanizer: