Dominique Ehrl, a 2016 graduate of Florida International University (FIU), has been named Miss New Mexico USA 2025. In addition to her pageant title, Ehrl works as a product marketing manager at YouTube TV and is recognized for her efforts to support small businesses.
Ehrl’s path to the crown began unexpectedly after a chance encounter with a former Miss New Mexico in her hometown of Santa Fe. “We chatted a bit, and she proposed the idea that I should consider competing,” Ehrl said. “She debunked a lot of stereotypes I had about pageants at the time. It took someone believing in me, seeing something in me that I didn’t see in myself, to realize that all the elements and things that I enjoy are celebrated in pageantry. I decided to compete.”
She first competed at age 19, earning third place in the Miss New Mexico competition hosted by the Miss America Organization. At 28, she placed third again in the Miss New Mexico USA contest under the Miss USA organization. Recent changes in eligibility rules allowed Ehrl, now married, to compete again this year. This time, she won the title.
“When my name was announced as Miss New Mexico USA 2025, I felt so proud of myself,” Ehrl said. “It felt almost unbelievable. I went into it with the mindset to win. I put in the hard work and really refined the areas I knew I needed to improve in.”
Ehrl described preparing for the competition as demanding, involving public speaking practice, physical training, and personal reflection. “You need to figure out how to step into your confidence,” she said. “A lot of times you might not feel like you have it in you at that moment, but this competition commands it from you. Part of being a woman is understanding how you feel best in your own skin and body.”
She credited timing and personal growth for her success. “It was God’s plan,” Ehrl said. “I wasn’t ready to win a few years ago. There was more that I needed to learn about myself to take on this role. Today, I have such a better grasp on who I am, and I am able to articulate that and share that with more grace and confidence and just stand in that a little more.”
Ehrl is using her platform to promote small business development, focusing on digital literacy and technology adoption among entrepreneurs. “Technology is transformational for small businesses,” Ehrl said. “I’m very passionate about digital literacy and about empowering business owners to embrace technology and face the fear of learning.”
Her professional experience at Google and YouTube has shaped her understanding of how technology can help small businesses grow. She began her career at Google by assisting business owners nationwide with Google Ads and observed firsthand their challenges in adopting new tools.
She also drew motivation from her mother’s experience running a dance studio. “My mom opened her small business around the same time,” Ehrl said. “After a few years, my mom ended up having to close her business. I truly believe that if I had known back then what I know now, maybe there was something I could have done to help keep her dream alive. I feel this call to help other entrepreneurs who are in the same boat. I don’t want them to have to go through the struggles my mom went through.”
Ehrl has started offering workshops and one-on-one consultations for small business owners in New Mexico as part of an initiative to provide resources and support. “Small businesses have always given me a sense of belonging,” she said. “The warmth of the coffee shop, the barista that knows my order, the local florist or local nail technician, those connections and encounters have always helped me build community in each city that I’ve lived in. And that’s what connects all of us. Small businesses are the backbone of our country. When small businesses thrive, I really believe communities thrive.”
Reflecting on her time at FIU, Ehrl credited professors and mentors for helping her find her path. “I really feel like my professors and mentors at FIU played a big role in my success,” she said. “It was the support FIU gave me that helped me to build my own confidence and find my own way.”
Originally on a pre-med track, she switched focus after guidance from faculty led her toward communications and marketing. One key moment was enrolling in an advanced sales course outside her major. “I was very shy about business at the time,” Ehrl recalled. “The course was Advanced Professional Selling. It sounded super interesting. I figured this could be helpful. It was only for business majors, which I wasn’t. I emailed the professor with my own elevator pitch with why I was interested in the class, and she allowed me to take the course.”
She completed internships at Univision, The Food Network, and NBCUniversal before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in communication arts. Now at YouTube TV, she leads research on consumer needs and helps shape marketing strategy.
Next week, Ehrl will represent New Mexico at the Miss USA pageant in Reno.
