Miss Illinois Pre-Teen Pageants

Afua Amoabin, a 7th grade student of College Preparatory School of America (CPSA) in Lombard, qualified as a finalist for the Miss Illinois Pre-Teen Pageants which was held at the Wyndham Hotel and Resorts in Itasca this past weekend. The competition brought 63 finalist across the state to the Wyndham Hotel to compete for the title of Miss Illinois Pre-Teen. Afua Amoabin a finalist moved forward into the semi-finals and narrowly lost in getting one of the spots for the four teens chosen to compete for the final crown of Miss Illinois Pre-Teen.

After competing for 2-days, June 30th and July 31st, one could easily see the exhaustion and excitement in the faces of the 63 state finalist. The finalist competed in the areas of poise and appearance in formal wear, poise and appearance in interview outfit, and personal interview. The competition was judged by a panel of five. In the Formal Wear competition, the judges looked to see how comfortable the finalist were in their formal wear and how they walked and smiled in public. In the Interview Outfit, the judges looked for confidence and speaking ability. In the Personal Interview, the judges looked for poise, self-confidence and ease in talking to an adult.

In preparation for Miss Illinois Pre-Teen competition, Afua Amoabin interviewed with John Roberts Powers Modeling Agency and was picked to compete in the International Modeling and Talent Association (IMTA) in New York City. Afua was picked over 200 teenagers in the IMTA selection. Later IMTA wanted Afua to go to New City and signed with a modelling agency and also compete outside the United States of America but because of lack of funds and demanding middle school curriculum Afua could honor commitments in New York and abroad. Afua also prepared for the pageant by modeling pro-bono for clothing stores.

In the end, Afua said, 'I have learned a lot and I know I can win the crown next year' . Also in the competition as a state finalist was Perpetual Assem a sixth grader from Shafer Elementary in Villa Park. Perpetual is the proud daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Assem.