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LOVES PARK — Just call her a homegrown beauty queen. Raised in Machesney Park, the newest Miss Illinois Galaxy, Stephanie Daughenbaugh, 28, earned her first crown at a pageant close to home.
Daughenbaugh was the 1996 Miss Young at Heart and said the local title helped her build skills she’d need during her career as a model and makeup artist.
“I learned a lot when I was Miss Young at Heart,” Daughenbaugh said. The title demanded that she speak at about 100 community events as a 16-year-old. “I was more shy and reserved then. I was forced to come out of my shell, to be my own person.”
The local contest is all about building confidence and empowering girls, said Beverly Barkman-Toedt, co-chair of the Miss Young at Heart pageant. The pageant “gives the girls self-confidence to go and pursue a dream,” she said.
Applications are available for the Miss Young at Heart pageant, to be held May 19 and 20. A $20 entrance fee must be submitted with the application, available online at Loves-Park.il.us.
A young contestant
Daughenbaugh first competed in Miss Young at Heart at age 12. She started modeling soon after and continued her career as a model and makeup artist in New York City after she graduated from Harlem High School in 1996.
She recently moved back to northern Illinois from New York City for health reasons. She said it was hard to be sick while living alone and being so far away from family.
She now lives and works in LaSalle.
She was diagnosed in 2004 with Crohn’s disease, which causes intestinal inflammation and keeps her body from absorbing nutrients normally. To stay healthy, Daughenbaugh avoids dairy and takes liquid vitamins. She also spends up to seven hours a week in the gym.
She still travels to New York City for modeling jobs and to visit friends. For now, she’s managing a chiropractor’s office, but her dream is to own a salon. She’s studying skin care to become an aesthetician.
Next up: Miss Galaxy Pageant
Daughenbaugh will compete in the Miss Galaxy Pageant July 18-22 in Orlando. She’ll be up against women from across the country and around the world.
“It will be fierce,” Daughenbaugh said of the international contest.
Miss Galaxy Pageants are managed by a group out of Michigan, and contestants are judged based on an interview, photo, and stage presence in a gown, swimwear, and fashion wear.
“It’s an opportunity for me to promote a system that believes in empowering women,” Daughenbaugh said of her Miss Illinois Galaxy title. “You either love pageants or you hate them, it’s one of those things.
“I think it’s important to get involved because you learn things about yourself.”
Daughenbaugh hopes future Miss Young at Heart contestants will take a cue from her and be honest about who they are during the contest.
“The best advice I can give anyone is just be yourself, you do not have to compromise that,” she said. “And if you have to fake that or compromise that, it won’t be fun.”
TKPN
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