Rio Rancho woman crowned 'Miss New Mexico Elite'

RIO RANCHO — When Rio Rancho resident Rosalie Taormina received a letter in the mail last year inviting her to an open call with the National American Miss pageant, she felt like it was a sign that she is capable of changing her life for the better.

The 29-year-old, who was named National American Miss Elite 2026, believes that earning the crown after competing with young women in her age group, 24-39, is a bright spot in her life, which included growing up as a foster child.

"I always wanted to do better and be better," said Taormina, who is also a manager for On the Spot Automotive Detailing in Rio Rancho and a financial representative with Primerica. "This (achievement) is one of the bigger things that will help me become the woman I am already becoming."

She was new to pageantry when she competed in Scottsdale in June 2025, but six months into her reign, Taormina is in her element. Channeling her life experience in foster care during her preteen and teenage years, she has launched "Rise with Rosalie," a social media video series aimed at advising foster youth.

The series involves thrice-weekly videos, oftentimes with Taormina wearing her crown in everyday settings.

"I wish I had someone who looked into a camera and said. 'You're not behind, you're not broken, and you're going to be OK,'" Taormina said in her first video. "I didn't see people openly rising about hard seasons, so I decided to become what I needed. That's why I started Rise with Rosalie."

In a second video, Taormina talked about the importance of youth figuring life out on their own.

"I didn't have a blueprint, so I became one," Taormina said. "When you grow up figuring things out on your own, one day, you wake up and realize you are the blueprint. That's what Rise with Rosalie is all about."

Taormina said the new initiative is not a requirement of NAM; rather, it is part of a personal mission statement she has created throughout her pageantry journey that reflects the advocacy work she is passionate about. 

Breanne Ewing, executive director for NAM New Mexico, called "Rise with Rosalie" an initiative that is "empowering and deeply impactful."

The blueprint of Taormina's life, so to speak, began in Roswell, where she was born. Because her parents couldn't care for her, Taormina's grandmother took her and her brother to New York, where the rest of the family lived. However, Taormina's grandmother was unable to adopt her or her grandson, leading Taormina and her sibling to live with different families between the ages of 3 and 10. Taormina's great-aunt and uncle eventually adopted them, and they moved back to Roswell together.

"I've always said to myself, 'No matter what I've been through or no matter what I go through, I'll never let it bring me down. I'll always have it build me up,'" Taormina said.

Taormina wanted to be a foster mom ever since she was 10 years old. For now, she wants to bring awareness to the foster care system and to make reforms, big or small.

"We need good foster parents," and more of them are needed, Taormina said. 

Though she did not mention it, a child welfare lawsuit, known as the Kevin S. case, is highlighting the lack of new foster homes recruited by the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department. The agency said in December during a virtual hearing with an arbiter that it only recruited 93 new nonrelative foster homes, well below the target of 265, according to a news article from the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Taormina believes foster children have slept in the agency's offices due to a lack of homes. But the CYFD recently ended the practice of placing children in agency offices to sleep overnight beginning March 1, per an executive order from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. As many as 30 children were sleeping in CYFD offices during the winter holidays, a press release from the governor's office stated.

The news left Taormina overjoyed.

"Ending office stays is more than a policy shift; it’s a statement that these children matter," she wrote in an email. "I’m hopeful this momentum continues so every child in care has the stability and support they need to truly heal and thrive."

As Taormina thrives in the "Miss New Mexico role" — which she will assist in passing on to her successor — she offered a statement to young girls everywhere.

"Your past does not disqualify you from a powerful future. You can build what ever you want, whenever you want. You just have to put your mind to it," Taormina said.