At the end of May, all of the Miss IL 2011 contestants participated in Spring Forum in Springfield, IL. It was wonderful to meet new contestants and reconnect with returning titleholders as we had meetings, sessions, and rehearsals together. As I posted about recently, many of us visited St. John's Children's Hospital before Spring Forum officially started, and I presented the Pediatric Unit with a gift--an original watercolor painting that I dedicated to St. John's. 
We also received our contestant groups and numbers and found out who our roommates will be during Miss IL week--I'm looking forward to rooming with you, Samantha!--and I was able to see my directors as well. Thank you to everyone involved in order to make this weekend possible-- Amalia and Glenn Schwerdtmann, Jane Ann Cruse, all of our Miss IL board members, Marta Clugston and all of the hostesses, Lana Markham, our security team, Shelby Zane, Sherri Winters, Staci Boyer, Michelle Holmes, Karen Bloom, Limelight Photography, and all of our volunteers who contributed. We also had a chance to hear from all of our lovely Miss IL titleholders who have just a few weeks left of their years. Thank you to Whitney, Kaitlyn, and Grace for everything you have put into representing the Miss IL organization this year.
My favorite part of the weekend was when Katie Stam, Miss America 2009, spoke to all of the contestants. She is definitely one of my favorite Miss Americas, and I really identified with a lot of what she said about leadership and her perspective on life, and I appreciated the advice she shared with us. She absolutely exemplifies the kind of titleholder I strive to be--what a true role model she is. She really is dedicated to connecting with every person she can, and I experienced this first-hand when I had the opportunity to meet her afterward--for a second time. During her reign as Miss America, I went to an event where she was the guest speaker at a school in Southern Illinois in which she joined everyone in making cards to thank our troops. Both times that I was able to interact with her, I was thankful for her friendly, humble attitude and the way she was attentive to each person she met. I also asked her to sign the inside of my sash, which is definitely an inspiring visual for me!
Spring Forum provided a good opportunity to continue to prepare for the job and title of Miss IL, talk with my fellow contestants, and take some group photos at the Capitol building. Speaking of which...the new Miss Illinois is in the photo below! Who will it be??
~MISS ILLINOIS CLASS OF 2011~
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