MAYA SINGH Junior at St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago • Member of her school debate team • Oldest of three siblings • Plays piano • Studies Indian dance • Has visited Germany and Japan
In these times of emails and text messages, it's increasingly rare for life-changing information to arrive by mail. But that's what happened to Maya Singh when she received a letter encouraging her to participate in an upcoming pageant.
"It was something I never knew I was dreaming of," said Singh, who participated in her first pageant competition in September 2023 and recently returned from the National All-American Miss pageant in Orlando.
Held over Thanksgiving break, the pageant brings together young women from all over the country who compete in several age groups for national titles. Singh and other contestants competed in a ballgown division, interviews and talent showcase during the weeklong event.
Singh secured her spot in the Florida competition after earning the title of first runner up in the National American Miss Illinois pageant, held in Indianapolis in September. A singer, dancer, pianist and actress, Singh drew on her longtime love of singing for the talent portion of the contest.
For the national competition, Singh chose to compete as an actress/spokesmodel. She said time spent in Hinsdale's BAM and StageDoor theater programs, as well as her experience as a member of her high school's Model United Nations team, prepared her for the contest. As part of the performance, Singh wrote and delivered a speech about enthusiasm and the influence her father has had on her life.
"It was really an homage to my dad," she said. The speech earned her a top-15 finish in the actress/spokesmodel talent competition.
Singh's dad also participated as her escort in the pageant's formalwear competition.
"I felt like a fairy princess," Singh said.
But just days before the trip to Florida, she had feared this fairy tale would have a very different ending.
Pageant wardrobes are expensive, Singh said, so she typically rents most of her gowns. But the weekend before she was scheduled to leave, her dress hadn't arrived.
"I was panicking," she said.
She turned to a fellow pageant competitor for help. A friend who held the title of National American Miss Junior Teen Illinois in 2022 loaned her a gown, just in time.
"She literally saved my pageant for me," Singh said. The result was an experience Singh said she will never forget.
"It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing," Singh said.
But it might not be, as Singh plans to return to the pageant stage in 2025.
"It has opened a whole new world to me," she said.
Singh said she's becoming more comfortable and confident with each pageant and looks forward to competing in another age division this year.
"It's all part of the process of me getting to know myself," she said.
Meanwhile, she continues to commute via train each day from her Hinsdale home to St. Ignatius Prep in Chicago, where she is part of several activities, including Student Council and the track team.
"I've really taken a keen interest in business," said Singh, whose class load currently includes macroeconomics and AP calculus.
"It's been difficult," she said.
But she's not one to turn away from a challenge, whether in the classroom or on the pageant stage.
- story by Sandy Illian Bosch, photo by Jim Slonoff
