Sara Costa, the 2025 Texas Rose, has said she feels nothing but "thankfulness" after battling thyroid cancer.
Speaking at the launch of the Rose of Tralee festival, the 21-year-old student said it was "shocking" to be diagnosed with cancer as a teenager, but she said she feels thankful to "be on this side of it".
"I was diagnosed when I was 18 years old. I had no reason to think that anything was wrong. I got the biopsy back, found out it was cancer," she told RTÉ Entertainment.
"Really shocking words to hear at the age of 18. All my friends were going to college. I had to stay home, take a gap year, and I had a really tough surgery, had to go to doctor's appointments all the time.
"It was really shocking, it was really difficult. But I am who I am today because of that difficult experience. So I have nothing but thankfulness to be on this side of it."
The Austin native, who is currently studying Political Communication and the Persian language at the University of Texas at Austin, said she was "kind of recruited" by the 2017 Texas Rose through their shared passion for Irish dance.
"I found out about it when I was 12 years old," she said of the Rose of Tralee.
"The 2017 Texas Rose, Lydian Lawler Lopez, was actually the one who kind of recruited me!
"She was an Irish dancer at the same time I was, and she came up to me at a feis and was like, 'So Sara, are you gonna do the Rose of Tralee one day?', and I was like, 'Tell me more!'
"She gave me the elevator pitch, gave me the rundown, and I was like, 'That is something that I would love to do some day'.
"So I've been holding tight since I was 12 years old, waiting for a good time to come do this."
Sara said the Rose of Tralee is "such a unique opportunity to solely celebrate women, specifically women with Irish heritage", and it has been "so exciting to be in the mix with all of these amazing, passionate, intelligent women".
"It's another way to connect to my heritage. Now I get to add on something else to my life that has really deepened those connections and opened up a whole network for me in Austin and abroad of fellow Irish people who are happy to welcome me with open arms," she said.
Sara, whose Irish roots hail from Collooney, Co Sligo, added that her family are "so proud" of her.
"They're actually coming to Ireland to support, so they'll be in Tralee to support me and cheer me on!"
The Rose of Tralee International Festival 2025, Monday and Tuesday, RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, 8pm.
