The 71-year-old woman makes history as the oldest participant in the Miss Texas USA competition

The 71-year-old woman will go down in history as the oldest contestant in the Miss Texas USA competition.

Marissa Teijo joined other contestants taking part in the competition this weekend in Houston. The winner will represent Texas in the Miss USA pageant.

The Miss Universe Organization recently changed its rules to be more inclusive, removing age restrictions for contestants over 18 and allowing women who are married, divorced or pregnant.

Teijo, of El Paso, wrote in an Instagram post that she was excited to compete and hoped it would “inspire women to strive to be their best physically and mentally and to believe in beauty at any age.”

The two-day Miss Texas USA pageant began on Friday at the Hilton Houston Post Oak hotel.

The Miss Universe organization has been embroiled in controversy since Noelia Voigt announced her resignation on May 6.

Voigt, 24, said in a statement on Instagram that she was leaving to focus on her mental health, but days later NBC News obtained a copy of Voigt’s resignation letter, in which she accused pageant CEO Laylah Rose of creating a toxic work environment and failing to deal with an incident of sexual harassment.

Rose released a statement saying she takes the allegations seriously and that “the well-being of everyone associated with Miss USA is my top priority.”

After Voigt relinquished her title, 17-year-old Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava stepped down, as did Miss USA’s social media manager Claudia Michelle.

Miss USA Savannah Gankiewicz of Hawaii is the new Miss USA 2023, replacing Voigt, and will serve in that capacity until August, when the new winner will be announced. Miss Teen USA runner-up Stephanie Skinner received the crown after Srivastava resigned, but refused to accept it.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com