Miss Hawaii 2013 is a stunning beauty whose looks do justice to the dreamy shores of her home state. Her unsurpassed beauty is not what makes Brianna Acosta so impressive, however. In fact, chances are high that she's smarter than you.

Acosta was born and raised in Waialua on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii, and has said before that she attributes her success in part to her small town upbringing. She is a self-described 'hapa,' which on the island refers to anyone of mixed ethnic backgrounds. Acosta's father is Mexican while her mother is of mixed European heritage.

What really stands out about Miss Hawaii 2013 is her drive, well-roundedness and sharp intellect, a combination not traditionally possessed by many of the competition's contestants. She was the captain of her high school's award-winning robotics team, was editor of the school newspaper, president of her school's National Honor Society, soccer team captain, and of course, class valedictorian.

Now she has taken her talents to the University of Hawaii and has just graduated with a degree in journalism and a minor in political science. Though it's clear that her talents are varied enough to allow her to do just about anything, Acosta has indicated that she has a real passion for journalism and would like to pursue it, but is keeping her options open:

"Well, I don't know about politics, I was contemplating going to law school, probably not immediately after college until hopefully I'm Miss USA but I would like to go to law school. I'd be more so to pursue a journalism career and feel more adequate to report hard news stories as well than you know, the average reporter's repertoire. I wouldn't mind actually working in foreign affairs."

This moment is a long time coming for Acosta. When she was 14 she first decided that she would one day become Miss Hawaii USA, and ever since that moment has spent all of her time working towards that goal. She never won Miss Hawaii Teen USA (Acosta ran three times), but refused to give up and is now on the verge of becoming Miss USA. So what's her advice to all those girls out there who are hoping for similar success?

"My advice first of all would be to make sure it's something that you really want. Throughout my pageant experience you know, seven years, I would meet girls who would honestly tell me that they were only running because of their parents or because of an outside source, or because they want a crown and a big title, so I would say if you're actually going to do a pageant, make sure that your values coincide with that organization and that you truly want to represent them and that it's something that's truly a dream or goal of yours."