Vernon Hills 5th grader to represent Illinois at National American Miss Pageant
Miss Jayla Wascow, daughter of Joe and Lucy Wascow, and fifth grader at Hawthorn School of Dual Language has earned the prestigious title of the 2021 National American Miss ILLINOIS at the state pageant held July 1-3 at the downtown Marriott in Indianapolis where about 40 other girls competed. Jayla (10), will be attending the National Pageant to be held in Orlando, Florida at Disneyworld during the Thanksgiving week, representing the great state of Illinois, where she will have the opportunity to win her share of over $500,000 in cash and prizes!
Along with winning the state title, Jayla also competed in several other competitions winning the Spokesmodel, Actress, Casual Wear, Talent and Most Promising Model Awards. She placed first runner up in Top Model, Runway Model, Photogenic and Miss Personality. During the week of competition she earned the Spirit of America Award and The Spirit Award for Promoting Friendship and Sportsmanship.
As part of the program, Jayla has to complete 40-60 hours of community service and she loves volunteering in her community of Vernon Hills, Fill A Heart 4 Kids, Feed My Starving Children, The Ronald McDonald House and many more non-profit organizations.
Jayla's favorite activities include travel soccer with the Vernon Hills Cougars, several dance genres which include ballet, tap and hip hop at Talent Forum dance school in Libertyville.
About National American Miss
Each year, the National American Miss pageant awards $1.5 million in cash, scholarships, and prizes to recognize and assist the development of young women nationwide. Pageants are held in each state for girls ages 4-18 in five different age divisions. The National American Miss Pageants are for "Today's Girl" and "Tomorrow's Leaders". The pageant program is based on inner beauty, as well as poise, presentation, and offers and "All American Spirit" of fun for family and friends. Emphasis is placed on the importance of gaining self-confidence, learning new skills, learning good attitudes about competition, and setting and achieving personal goals. The pageant seeks to recognize the accomplishments of each girl while encouraging her to set goals for the future!