Community Corner
Meet Erin Nolan: Quite Possibly The Next Miss Illinois Teen USA
Local girl to compete in the Miss Illinois Teen USA pageant in November.
Orland Park teen Erin Nolan likes to meet new people and try new things. She read about the Miss Illinois Teen USA pageant and decided she would give it a shot. Thanks to sheer determination and the generosity of local sponsors, she is now a contestant in the pageant.
The 15-year-old is a student at where she participates in Orchesis Dance troop and is a member of the school's Varsity Pom squad. Outside school, Nolan is a community volunteer as a junior coach for the Pioneer cheerleading program and is also a dance student at the .
"Erin is one of the sweetest, kindest girls I have ever met," said Michele Pierson, athletic director of the Pioneer Cheerleading program said. "She comes from a great, very close knit family and gets along well with her siblings. As a junior coach in the program, she coaches the 1st and 2nd grade team and is very loved by the girls."
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Each contestant will be judged in three areas: swimsuit, evening gown and interview.
"You are judged equally in all three areas, which are designed to help showcase your ability to serve as a role model," said Nolan, who is looking forward to the competition.
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"Each contestant is also asked to raise sponsorship money to cover the cost of their pageant," she said. "I am currently sponsored by Jerry’s Trucking, Inc., Trace Ambulance Service, Inc., Suds Factory, Santa Fe Landscaping, Cambridge Dental Care, Atlas Putty, Trio Express, Renaissance Communications, Alliance Shippers and Sophia’s House of Pancakes."
Nolan attended an orientation for contestants of the pageant on Sunday, Oct. 9th and said she was "surpised to learn that many of the girls were, just like me, new to pageants and it was their first time competing."
The teen hopes that by participating in the pageant she will have the opportunity to meet a lot of new people and learn some new things from the experience.
When asked what advice she was give to others who want to try out for the pageant, Nolan said "to always dream big and most importantly to have confidence and believe in yourself. Make every moment count and to enjoy life to the fullest."
The Miss Illinois Teen USA Pageant will be held at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago on November 18th, 19th and 20th.
