Suhanee Patel bags Miss Illinois crown

CHICAGO,IL — After a busy pageant weekend, Suhanee Patel of Lake Zurich was crowned Miss Illinois High School America 2018.

Being one of the 24 contestants in various age divisions, Suhanee finished with the overall title of Miss Illinois High School America 2018.

“It seemed surreal to hear my name next to the words, your new Miss Illinois High School America is,” smiled Suhanee when asked what were her immediate thoughts.

At the November 26 pageant, she also earned the following awards in her age division: Best High School Pride Attire, Best Evening Gown, and Highest Combined Overall Score.

Under the coordination of directors Vicki Misuraca and Peter Fosco, along with their exceptional staff, this year’s pageant was held in Rosemont this past Thanksgiving weekend.

The 24 young ladies had a fun weekend full of festive rehearsals and competitions. The judging criteria consisted of interview, runway fashion and evening gown competitions.

Suhanee is well known in her community for her compassion and desire to help others. An added bonus is her thirst for knowledge and public speaking abilities. These traits keep her quite busy through her Glitter for the Golden: an Elderly Enrichment Program and the newly-added tasks of Building Respect and Values for Everyone Campaign (BRAVE): an anti-bullying campaign; BRAVE is the national platform for MHSA Pageant System.

Suhanee plans to use her title to spread the word of BRAVE to groups such as Girls Scouts, local schools and libraries, churches and more. Also, she will continue work as the founder of Glitter for the Golden Program. This month, she will be delivering December Holiday Party Pop-Up Boxes to local senior living centers.
In June, Suhanee will represent Illinois at the Nationals Pageant in Little Rock, Arkansas. As one of the approximate 200 contestants, her plan is to bring home the crown.

“I start each day by telling myself that something better is yet to come, ” says Suhanee.