LOCAL WOMAN INSPIRES & GIVES BACK AS SHE MANAGES THE ROLE OF BOTH MOM & MRS. ILLINOIS This beauty queen was raised in small towns of Indiana, growing up with cows and horses, riding dirt bikes and quads; she was shy and introverted, so mom and grandma thought pageants would help her debut.
“I really enjoyed getting dressed up and putting on make-up; and regardless of whether I won or lost, we always went out for ice cream afterwards,” Nicole says. “It wasn’t until high school that I recognized the real growth and opportunity that pageants afforded.”
As Mrs. Illinois-America, Nicole does official appearances such as parades, fundraisers, charity events, singing the national anthem, ribbon cutting ceremonies, radio or TV shows, and more! She believes the best part of holding any title is the amplification of one’s voice and impact. Being Mrs. Illinois-America affords Nicole opportunities to help advocate important issues to a vast diverse crowd.
Or course, as a Mrs. Pageant, you have to be married to compete, so each title holder has different personal responsibilities to work around as well.
“Since I have two young children (Carter, age 2.5 and Cooper, age 1), it is more difficult for me to travel long distances or stay overnight for events, so I try and go to events that are local, family friendly, and/or only require a few hours of time so I can go while I have a babysitter,” she shares.
“Social media also plays a large role in staying connected to supporters and prospective contestants, so my online presence is pretty constant.”
Nicole is focusing on bettering her community. She lives in Mill Creek of Geneva and feels the values are the same as her small town growing up. She and her husband Grant are members of Chapelstreet Church and volunteer in the worship band. They meet bi-weekly with other couples to do a Bible study and have discussions to better their marriages. Nicole was also a table leader for the “Moms Together” discussion program for moms with young children. Other involvements include advocating for “Victoria’s Voice” – The Victoria Siegel Foundation (www.victoriasiegelfoundation.org) which takes “aim at reducing drug experimentation, addiction, and overdose death” which hits very close to home for Nicole as she lost her brother-in-law to a heroin overdose. She also writes a blog for www.modelmomsclub.com and has a YouTube channel which shares beauty tips. www.youtube.com/modelmomsclub.
Nicole will be competing in the national Mrs. America Pageant in August so stay tuned to see where this Geneva Mom goes next!
www.mrsillinoisamerica.com/About_Us.html –Kristen Kucharski
