Jean Carlos Salazar: Call Him 'Mister Connecticut'

Jean Carlo Salazar believes that self-belief is essential, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. At 26, Salazar, a resident of East Haven, emphasizes the importance of faith in oneself, stating, “You have to have faith in yourself because if you don’t, you have nothing.”

In a downtown New Haven coffee shop, Salazar shares his challenging immigrant journey from Colombia to Connecticut, which has led to a career in nursing, work as a model, and his current role as a representative of Connecticut at the Mister USA pageant in Los Angeles on July 20.

Dressed casually in a white waffled long-sleeved jersey, jeans, and white New Balance sneakers, Salazar is strikingly handsome with piercing green-hazel eyes but also approachable with an open, easy-going manner and welcoming smile.

Salazar was born in Cali, Colombia and raised by a family of women — a single mother, grandmother, aunt and older sister— “even our dogs were female,” he laughs.

At the age of 10, his family — now including a stepfather — emigrated to Connecticut. In 2018 he became a naturalized citizen.

They first lived in West Haven before moving to Middletown where as a gay teenager unsure of himself found himself bullied, leading him to finish school early. “Kids can be evil and it was very tough.”

Coming from a conservative Catholic family, his coming out process as a gay teen was rough, too, he says, “It took some time for my family to say, ‘We love you. You are our child. And we don’t care what our religion or society says.’ ”

Because his family was struggling to fit in with its new country, Salazar had to figure a lot of things out for himself, especially his route to college and finding a career path that fulfilled his ambitions.

“I knew I was on my own, but something beautiful my mom instilled in me was that in this country education is key to success.”

While working at Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks, he studied at Middlesex Community College in Middletown to became a phlebotomist; then earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology at Southern Connecticut State College; then followed that by earning a second Bachelor of Science degree in nursing at UConn. That led to positions at Stamford Hospital and Yale-New Haven Hospital, “the latter which shaped me to be the nurse I am today.”

In 2023 he became a board certified ICU nurse through the American Association for Critical Nurses. He currently works for Option Care Health in Shelton, which offers infusion therapy services. He is currently pursuing my master's degree at Quinnipiac University to become a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.

Two years ago, a New York photographer saw a picture he posted on Instagram and reached out to him to see if he would be interested in modeling.

“I had no idea who this person was and though I was shy and scared, I took a risk and said yes. Thankfully, he was a really nice person.”

Those professional photographs led to his work for a modeling agency and portfolio photo shoots and even covers for Ardent and Vero magazines and Vero’s online platform, HoN magazines.

He learned about the Mister USA competition through his sister, Maria Camilla Medina, a marketing specialist, who won the Reina Latina 2024/2025 pageant earlier this year in Danbury.

Salazar sent in an application and received a phone call the next day for a pageant interview on Zoom. In February he was chosen to represent Connecticut and will compete in Los Angeles in July for a $50,000 modeling contract. The winner will then compete for Mr. Universe in Los Angeles in November for a six figure cash prize. He describes the experience so far as “surreal.”

The Mister USA website themisterusa.com describes itself as celebrating “culture, diversity, beauty, intelligence, and empowerment…It is not just about physical appearance; it’s a platform that seeks to identify and showcase well-rounded individuals who possess qualities beyond aesthetics. The competition aims to find an ambassador who is not only physically fit but also intelligent, socially aware, and charismatic. Mister USA is the quest for Male Excellence.”

“For me, that means recognizing failure and using those experiences to ultimately succeed,” says Salazr. “It requires facing challenges head-on and embracing them to foster perseverance and personal growth. As Taylor Swift noted in her 2020 album ‘folklore,’ ‘If you never bleed, you are never gonna grow.’ “

“They’re truly looking for people who do advocacy work,” says Salazar. “That's where I want to bring in my own unique story.” He says his immigrant narrative, his LGBTQ+ identity and the challenges he faced, along with his passionate advocacy on behalf of health care and nursing, is what he hopes will make him stand out.

“I want to raise some awareness about how nurses are a catalyst to the healthcare industry,” he says.

Even prior to applying for the competition, Salazar, who is single, had been working out at Powerhouse gym in North Haven just to get in better shape for himself, working on nutrition, gaining muscle and bulking his six-foot frame to around 180 pounds.

Style is one of the categories he will be judged, and that includes formal wear and swimwear (i.e. Speedos). He describes his fashion sense as “stylish relaxed athletic.”

If there is a talent segment, which hasn’t been confirmed yet, Salazar, who also plays piano, would like to perform a piece by composer Ludovico Einaudi.

He and “Team Salazar,” will embark on a cross-country road trip to the nationals. He is still seeking sponsorship via his Instagram @salazarj_98.

All along the way over the past 10 years, he says, there were naysayers who told him he couldn’t pursue his dreams. “But you have to do what you have to do and grow a thick skin. Life isn’t always fair and we know that but you can't continue to victimize yourself.”