Miss Illinois Hannah Smith, 20, visited campus on Friday and made an appearance at the NIU Convocation Center for the Castle Challenge. The event is organized by Castle Bank to help raise money for DeKalb and Sycamore sports booster clubs. Smith talked with the Northern Star about her plans to attend NIU and her experiences as Miss Illinois and a top ten finalist in the Miss America 2012 Pageant.

Northern Star: When are you planning on going to NIU?

Hannah Smith: Hopefully this fall, but I’m not sure yet. We’ve had a lot of calls and different offers for me to do different things this next year, even though I’ll be done with Miss Illinois. So we’ll have to see where this year takes me. When I do come back I’m looking to do dance performance and I was [also going to major in] business, but now I’m actually interested in a nutrition degree. So, we’ll see.

NS: Why are you thinking about switching to nutrition?

HS: Well, the reason being that I’ve been to many different dance studios throughout my lifetime and a common problem throughout the different studios in the dance world is always a healthy dancer. Sometimes there are eating disorders, sometimes girls aren’t getting the proper nutrition they need, and that’s a vital part of a dancer. So I hope to open up my own studio one day and with that I would like to incorporate on how to be a healthy dancer and involve the nutrition.

NS: What are your future career ambitions?

HS: Well, like I said, I would love to open up my own studio one day. I am currently teaching at Beth Fowler School of Dance in Genoa and St. Charles. So either working with Beth – she’s a great employer and I love working at that studio – or doing something with that and, like I said, incorporating a nutrition program in the dance world.

NS: What are your plans this year as Miss Illinois?

HS: I was crowned last July so I crown the next Miss Illinois at the Miss Illinois Pageant, which is going to take place the last week of June. I just returned from Miss America and for the rest of this year I will be focusing on my platform, which is distracted driving. I’ve been speaking on that to numerous high schools throughout the state leading up to this point and I will continue to do so. I will also be attending various fundraising events. So, basically just fulfilling the rest of my duties.

NS: Is it hard for you to have a normal life because you are in the public eye?

HS: No, not really. I went from being a college student at McHenry County College. I was a server at a Red Robin in Algonquin and a dance instructor. So I’ve always considered myself to be a normal, 20-year-old girl, but it just so happens that I ended up winning this pageant and this scholarship pageant which is going to help me tremendously when I go back to school. So I really don’t consider me not normal or not being able to have a normal life. I still see my friends once in awhile. Of course I don’t get to do as much as I want to all the time because of Miss Illinois, but it’s great because it’s a learning experience and it’s something different. It’s making me step out of my box and experience new things.

NS: Do you think the public’s attitude toward pageants has changed from how it used to be?

HS: I definitely think so. I still know that some people when I go on appearances will make fun of me and do the wave, because that’s what it’s perceived as. But something that I stress and talk about is that it is a scholarship pageant. Talent is involved, a platform is involved, interviews are involved. It’s more based on who you are as a person and what you stand for, then how you look. So I believe that when I’m able to speak on that or any Miss America has the opportunity to speak on that, then people’s perceptions are changed.

NS: If someone wanted to eventually become Miss Illinois what should they expect? Is it better to start out at local pageants and then work your way up? Is there a big time and money commitment involved?

HS: You do have to win a local preliminary pageant. When I competed, there were 26 of them across the state, but we are expanding to build more local pageants. So you do go to a local pageant and you win that. I was Miss Windy City before I was Miss Illinois. And quite honestly, there is a time commitment, but as far as money goes, I have always been very careful with budgeting and I made sure that when I shopped for an evening gown for Miss Illinois or I shopped for a swimsuit, or whatever else I needed, I would look into fundraising opportunities or I would go to places where I could afford [clothes]. It doesn’t matter who has the most expensive wardrobe, it matters more who you are as a person. I know of a Miss Indiana who became Miss America who got her swimsuit at Salvation Army. It matters who you are. So I definitely believe that someone could definitely do this pageant with a low budget, but there has to the time commitment. You definitely have to be committed.

NS: What was your experience like being in the Miss America 2012 Pageant?

HS: It was great. It was 10 days, I was in Las Vegas. It’s a very long week from morning to night. We are constantly working, constantly going on different appearances, shooting commercials, and then production rehearsals, which take place all day in the theatre, to go on national television live. It was a very emotionally and physically draining week. We were constantly going. We didn’t get that much sleep. When you’re around 52 other contestants it’s difficult sometimes. Sometimes you’ll second guess what you did. You know, I’m my own worst critic. I’ll think to myself if I could’ve down something better, I wish I could’ve done something different, but it was an all-around really nice experience and I met so many different people. Today, I’ll get to see Miss Iowa, who I became really good friends with at the Miss America pageant. You build lifelong friendships and of course the scholarship opportunity I got for finishing in the top ten was great. Just from the Miss America pageant was $7,000, but this whole year, combined between Miss Illinois and Miss America, $20,500.

NS: Can you describe for me what is was like backstage at the Miss America Pageant?

HS: It’s crazy. It’s absolutely crazy. We change in a tent. And it sounds weird, but it’s like one of those heated, big, expandable tents. And watching the Miss America pageant for so many years I thought, oh they have this glamorous dressing room and they have all of this time to get ready, and it is not like that at all. We have a little space in a tent and the final night was an absolutely crazy mad rush. We would have two minutes to run back and change [and then] four minutes to run back and change an entire wardrobe, because we had to stay within the time limit that ABC had.

NS: How were you feeling when you made it to the top ten? Were you disappointed that you didn’t win?

HS: You know, I wasn’t disappointed at all. Before that night, I went into the bathroom – I did this when I was Miss Illinois too – and I shut the door and I said a prayer. I’m a very faith-based person. I said, “Lord, if this is meant to be it will happen and if not you have something else in store for me, and you will get me to go as far as you want me to go.” And finishing in the top 10, I was able to wear my evening gown, swimsuit and perform my talent of ballet on point on stage on national television. And honestly, that’s as far as I believe I was supposed to go. I was supposed to go do the best I could, represent Illinois to the best of my abilities and come back and finish my year here as Miss Illinois. And it’s really a blessing because actually the last time we had a Miss Illinois do anything at Miss America was when [Miss Illinois 2002] Erika Harold won Miss America in 2003. And then from there we haven’t even had a Miss Illinois get in the top 15. I’m the first Miss Illinois in 8 or 9 years that we’ve had now to place, so that was quite an achievement, too. I’m very happy with how everything went.

NS: Was that nerve wracking at all for you to perform in front of so many people?

HS: To be honest with you, everything moved so quickly that evening that I didn’t have time to really stop and think, “Oh my goodness, I’m about to perform in front of national television in front of 7.6 million people.” It didn’t really occur to me until I got home and watched the pageant on the DVR that I recorded and then I went, “Oh, okay, I was on TV.” It really wasn’t that nerve-racking, I’ve been performing [ballet on stage] since I was 3 years old. It was kind of like second nature to me.

NS: What age did you first start pageants?

HS: When I was 17 I competed in Miss Huntley, which is my hometown. I ended up winning that and then from Miss Huntley I went on to be Miss McHenry County. And then from there I took about two years off from pageants and focused on school, work and dancing. I decided four weeks before Miss Chicago to compete in the local preliminary for Miss Illinois. I ended up winning Miss Windy City and then went on to [become] Miss Illinois.

NS: Do you think there’s ever too early an age to start pageants? Have you seen the show Toddlers and Tiaras?

HS: I have. You know, it really depends on different families. It depends on the girls, [and] it depends on what people’s plans are for their lives. I don’t really agree with Toddlers and Tiaras, just because of the fact that these young girls, you watch them and you see that they’re crying or that they’d rather play then be in the pageants and those type of pageants unfortunately, even though there are many different opportunities involved with them, can be based on just beauty. And the pageant system that I’m involved in is not just based on that. And I can’t imagine for a 3-year-old, or a 7-year-old or a 12-year-old even, to know that you didn’t win a pageant because you’re not beautiful enough. I can’t imagine what that can do for their self esteem. That does not yield any positive results. So I believe that it’s any time that a family sits down and decides, okay this is what we want to do, we’re going to give it a try. And I encourage people to get involved in pageants, but I really encourage the ones that involve scholarship opportunity.

NS: What have you learned from the experiences you’ve had as Miss Illinois and a top 10 finalist in the Miss America Pageant?

HS: Well, I’ve learned many things this year. [I’ve learned about] the business aspect of things. Before Miss Illinois, you know, like I said, I was just a student and I worked my jobs and I was in my little box in Huntley. Just to find out that there’s so much that goes into so many different organizations and so many people who are willing to [help]. Everyone who’s involved in the Miss Illinois Scholarship Association, our board, it’s all volunteer jobs. They don’t get paid at all. So learning that they’re willing to volunteer their time just to help me during my year as Miss Illinois [was great]. And also the fact that we have so many sponsors with the Miss Illinois Scholarship Association. We’re in difficult times right now economically and just to see so many generous people out there is really inspiring. I’ve learned a lot more on public speaking and interviewing. I never thought that I could stand up in front of an entire high school student body, or in front of the Illinois State Senate or in front of national television, and speak and perform. So I’ve definitely learned to step out of my box and so many other things.

NS: Are you looking forward to going back to school again?

HS: I am. You know, it’s weird because this is the first time in my entire life that I’ve not been in school, because I went to elementary school, then high school and college right away. So it’s kind of been nice to take the year off from school, but of course I’ve been very busy traveling and doing other things as Miss Illinois. I’m looking forward to it.