New Rey Feo has a message: ‘Believe to Achieve’

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) – A new Rey Feo has been crowned in preparation for Fiesta San Antonio next spring.

Thomas Aguillon raised $273,000 to win the title. He was crowned by the Rey Feo Scholarship Foundation in a ceremony Saturday night at the Mays Family Center at the Witte Museum.

“We’re very appreciative of the community support that helped us raise that money for scholarships,” Aguillon told KTSA News.

The graduate of Central Catholic High School and the University of the Incarnate Word is Director of Government Affairs for Charter Communications where he works on legislative and regulatory issues. His wife, Melissa Aguillon, is President and CEO of Aguillon and Associates. Thomas says they believe in the importance of education and they wanted to give back to the community.

“This is a great way to do it. We’ve raised money for scholarships to help kids achieve their dream,” he said.

The theme of his reign is “Believe to Achieve,” and that’s the message he’ll take to youngsters when he visits dozens of schools in the Spring.

“When I was in 7th grade, I had a teacher who really believed in me, so I give credit to her for inspiring me to further my education,” Aguillon said.

He’s hoping the message “Believe to Achieve” will resonate with the youngsters he comes in contact with during his reign as Rey Feo.

“We believe them, their parents believe in them, the community believes in them, and they need to believe in themselves,” he said.

LULAC Council No. 2 also crowned La Reina de la Feria de las Flores Saturday night.

Twenty-two-year-old Gabrielle Uribe raised $55,000 dollars for Lulac Council No. 2’s Parent/Child Scholarship Program. She’s a graduate of Texas Christian University and works for Dell Technologies. Uribe says she was inspired by her third grade teacher, who was a former Miss Fiesta.

“It was just a dream of an 8-year-old, and I took it and ran,” Uribe said.

In addition to the parades and dozens of Fiesta events, Uribe said she looks forward to visiting schools with Rey Feo during her reign.

“I really like interacting with kids and sharing stories that could influence them in the long run,” she said.

The Rey Feo Scholarship Foundation also crowned La Reina Linda Leticia Garza. The international Claims adjuster at USAA also raised money for scholarships.

You’ll see them at numerous Fiesta events April 16-26, 2020.