Alexandria Nichole "Ali" Nugent was crowned Miss Texas USA late last year, and is now competing in the Miss USA pageant, which will be held Jun. 16. Here's a closer look at the 20-year-old beauty from Dallas, TX.

Nugent's strong family values and southern charm certainly give her a distinct advantage over many of the competitors in this year's event. When asked where she derived the majority of her inspiration, Nugent did not hesitate in giving her answer.

"It is a tie between my mom and dad. They are both the most motivating, determined and persistent people I know," she said, noting that one day, if given the chance, she would like "to be as great a parent as mine have been to me; they have made me who I am today and I am so thankful to them for that."

Nugent's family values come by virtue of the fact that she has very large, close-knit family. She has stated that she has a whopping 30 aunts and uncles with a total of 43 cousins, but no family members have impressed her more than her parents, who own a company that aims to eliminate world hunger.

Nugent says she wants to "go to Haiti to see the positive impact that her family's company has had on the orphans receiving our nutritional products."

Nugent is a 2011 graduate of Highland Park High School in Dallas and is now majoring in Marketing/Entrepreneurship at Collin College in Frisco. She has also already modeled for a plethora of different charities, including Best Buddies, Kids Matter International, Clothe the Child and Terra Biotech's One-2-One.

It's clear that Nugent has already carved herself a bright future, and people can expect big things from her in the future. When asked what she envisions for her future, Nugent makes it clear that she is focused on success.

"To be independent, strong, motivated, successful, driven and determined," she said. As to the role of women today, Nugent believes "the role is whatever they perceive to be the most important to them." For her personally, that means "being completely happy with the non-materialistic things in life -- like family, love and life."