After being crowned the first winner of "Nuestra Belleza Latina," Alejandra Espinoza still had to prove herself.

Despite showing her personality and other skills on the stage, there were plenty that still doubted her. The TV host opened up to TV Y Novelas about how she overcame these obstacles.

"In the year that I won my crown, things went poorly," she said. "I thought it would be a contest like any other. Before participating I worked at a fast food restaurant, so I was obviously not ready to be on television. In fact, I never bothered to take a communication seminar because before that I studied nursing, which is a completely different career. It was horrible: I did not know how to speak. I only said 'thanks,' and the people labeled me as dumb."

Although she knew she was not stupid, she did feel limited.

She may have had a lot to say, but she didn't know how to say it. Her vocabulary was not up to par, and she became depressed; so much so, that she fed the negativity. She started reading forums to see what people thought of her.

Worse still, she was completely alone in Miami and there was no one to offer her support.

It wasn't until she was with her niece watching television and Espinoza was featured in a commercial. Her niece looked at her in amazement and said she wanted to be just like her when she grew up.

She thought to herself, "I'm being dumb. I have an opportunity that many wish they had, and I am wasting it."

This became a turning point, and she decided to reinvent herself.

She cut her hair and got a breast reduction, so she could feel more like herself.

Then, she got to work.

She went to as many classes as she could in Miami, so that she could become a better speaker. She learned how to trust her inner voice and how to stop worrying about others.

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