Miss Illinois News Articles
Future Miss America visits St. Francis Xavier?
By Jane Michaels | December 4, 2009 | Photos by Curtis Lehmkuhl/Staff Photographer
If Girl Scouts and Brownies at St. Francis Xavier School could vote for Miss America, their recent guest, Miss Illinois, would be a sure bet.
As the first- through sixth-graders finished an afterschool snack Dec. 2 and joined hands for a game, a tall, slender young woman slipped into their circle. She had long dark hair and wore a sparkling crown and glittering white sash over a gray and black outfit with black boots.
Miss Illinois Erin O'Connor participates in an opening activity with St. Francis Xavier fourth-grader Lauren Bock (left) and third-grader Karly Brady Dec. 2. Miss Illinois spoke with the Girl Scouts at St. Francis Xavier about her experience in the scouting.
Margie Hull, whose two daughters are Scouts, introduced her niece, Erin O'Connor, who grew up in Evergreen Park and is a senior at Western Illinois University in Macomb.
"Erin went to a Catholic school and was a Girl Scout just like you, and she sold me Girl Scout cookies," Hull said. "She was told she could do whatever she put her mind to, and she did."
O'Connor, 21, told the girls she had never entered a pageant before but decided to try after reading about a scholarship for Miss Macomb. The contest required entrants to choose a platform, or topic about which they felt strongly and want to educate people.
"When I was 12 years old, my mom got sick," O'Connor said. "When I was 18, she passed away from skin cancer, and I decided to do something. I volunteered for the American Cancer Society and was in a bunch of Relays for Life, but that wasn't enough."
O'Connor, who is studying theater and dance, said the pageant provided a great opportunity to educate people about the dangers of skin cancer and how to prevent it.
"My talent is in ballet. I also had to learn to walk right," she said, adding later she watched YouTube videos for pointers. "It was my very first pageant ever, and I won!"
With more serious competition in store at the next level, O'Connor said she studied her platform and current events and practiced her dance for several hours every day to prepare for Miss Illinois.
"I worked very hard and stayed positive," she recalled. "I made it to the top 10 and then the top five. They didn't call my name until the end, and the rest is a blank."
O'Connor said she has taken a year off from school because serving as Miss Illinois is a full-time job with public appearances and preparing with a team of advisers for the Miss America contest Jan. 30 in Las Vegas. The competition will be broadcast on the TLC cable network.
Most of her schedule as Miss Illinois focuses on promoting the Character Counts! program at schools throughout the state. O'Connor illustrated each of the six pillars with candid stories from her childhood, including times she got in trouble.
"She was really cool," said third-grader Alex Gatsos. "I really liked her stories, especially the curfew one."
Classmate Erin O'Hara said she also liked O'Connor's story about being late for curfew and how her mom was sitting in the dark on the front porch waiting.
"She was really pretty and really funny," Erin said.
Sixth-grader Claire Sullivan said she'll wear sunscreen more after listening to O'Connor's advice.
"It was awesome to see her. I thought it was fascinating how she entered only one pageant before becoming Miss Illinois," Claire said. "I can't wait to watch her on TV."
O'Connor, who has researched her chances, said there's precedent for someone with little pageant experience to win the crown.
"In 2007, a 19-year-old won the local, state and then Miss America," she said. "I really want to be Miss America."
Deluged with hugs, requests to pose for photos and a fistful of notes that said, "I love you," O'Connor developed a loyal base of supporters during her visit.
"It was really cool to see somebody who might be Miss America someday," said third-grader Katherine Kent.