Megan Bowlyou, a 17-year-old Sherrard senior, got back Wednesday from an exceedingly well-timed trip to Orlando, Fla., with her family.
But it wasn’t just to escape last week’s QC “snowmaggedon” (thanks to the huge snow and brutal cold, school has been canceled several days in the past week). Megan – the current Miss Blackhawk Valley’s Teen – was there to cheer on many other young women she knows participating in Miss America’s Teen and Miss America competitions.
“Growing up, I always wanted to go see Miss America,” she said Wednesday night.
She really wanted to support Miss Illinois (Jessica Tilton, who has won the crown of Miss Quad Cities) and Miss Illinois Teen (Isabella Waggoner), and learn some tips on her own journey to become the next Miss Illinois Teen, when Megan competes in June 2024 in Marion, in southern Illinois.
She said she was thrilled to see Jessica Tilton (who earned master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Bradley University, and taught biology there) and got to meet Emma Broyles, the 2022 Miss America, who was crowned in December 2021 (the 100th anniversary of Miss America).
“She’s an amazing role model,” Megan said of Tilton, who’s now in medical school at Southern Illinois University. Megan will graduate this May and attend Bradley in Peoria this fall. “I wouldn’t be going to Bradley if it weren’t for her. She is the most down-to-earth person. She’s so sweet, she’s an amazing Miss Illinois.”
Megan got to train with the same coaches who worked with Jessica for her Miss Quad Cities crown in 2023. Megan won Miss Mississippi Crown for 2023.
Second Lt. Madison Marsh of Colorado Springs is Miss America 2024. She was crowned Sunday night, Jan. 14, from a field of 51 young women from every state (and Washington, D.C.) who spent a week in Orlando in search of college scholarships and the crown of Miss America.
Marsh is a 2023 alum of the Air Force Academy with a degree in physics and a graduate student at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Hanley House was crowned Miss America’s Teen 2024 on Saturday night, Jan. 13.
House, who competed as Miss North Carolina’s Teen, is a Raleigh native and a junior at Cleveland High School. She performed a lyrical dance routine to “Don’t Stop Believin’” in the pageant’s talent competition. The teen competition (for girls ages 13-18) — which includes talent, fitness, evening gown and on-stage question segments — is part of the Miss America organization.
“She’s beautiful, gorgeous, very well-spoken,” Megan said of Hanley. Her community service initiative project was called “Passion to Profit.” It’s a nonprofit aimed at helping young teens start small businesses. She used the program to create her own business at just 10 years old.
“She’s an entrepreneur; she is amazing,” Megan said Wednesday night, after getting back from Orlando (with her parents and 20-year-old sister Allie, who’s Miss Blackhawk Valley) a day late, because of a canceled flight.
Megan also wanted to support Miss Iowa, Bettendorf native Alysa Goethe.
Of Miss Illinois Teen, Bella, Megan said: “She’s so sweet; she designed her dress. The played the violin, a Michael Jackson mix (for her talent). She did so great – we’re so proud of her.”
Supporting hidden disabilities
Two years ago, when she became part of the Miss America opportunities program, Megan became an advocate for others and named her platform “Overcome T.H.AT.” (THAT is an acronym for The Hidden disAbilities Traits), to provide more resources and public awareness to the issue.
Megan partners with Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, a global nonprofit. It works to support people living with non-visible disabilities in their communities by raising awareness, training businesses and sharing stories to help create a more inclusive, understanding society, according to its website.
She has worked with the Quad Cities International Airport to adopt the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower to support and raise awareness for those living with a non-visible disability.
Megan was diagnosed with dyslexia (a learning disability that affects reading, writing and spelling) when she was 7, and by the time she was in 3rd grade, was just reading at a kindergarten level. And she has overcome that.
Passengers who have a disability that may not be immediately apparent can choose to wear a Sunflower laminated lanyard that will indicate to airport staff that they may need additional assistance or time.
Megan wore her lanyard to and from the Orlando airport and hopes to work to get the program adopted at other regional airports. Currently, 230 airports worldwide participate in it.
Passengers should be aware that wearing a Sunflower identifier does not authorize special privileges or access to secure areas of the airport without being a ticketed passenger. The program is only intended to signal to others that additional assistance or time may be required.
Heading into Miss Illinois Teen in June, Megan said she learned from last week how to better present herself, and embody the Miss America pillars of style, service, scholarship, success and sisterhood.
“They are all so professional; they knew exactly what they were going to say,” she said of the contestants. Megan has earned about $2,000 so far in scholarships, and Miss America winners are eligible for $60,000 each.
“The connection we build with each girl, we are sisters,” she said of the program’s genuine sisterhood. “We become so close, we are family now. I consider them family.”
For more information on Miss America, click HERE.
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