Miss Illinois finishes with the ‘spirit of Miss America,’ even without winning

“I had no idea then how many women dream of stepping on that stage,” said Bagley, 27, who competed in Miss America this year as Miss Illinois. She grew up in Decatur and Mount Zion, attended South Shores School and later, Mount Zion schools.

A graduate of Millikin University and Southern Illinois University School of Law, she is the first practicing attorney to serve as Miss Illinois and only the second practicing attorney to compete in Miss America.

Bagley works at Citizens Equity First Credit Union as assistant chief legal counsel and compliance counsel in Peoria, while also making frequent trips back to Decatur to serve as caregiver for her mother, Kathy, who has been diagnosed with idiopathic chronic pancreatitis.

“I’m always on the road,” she said.

Bagley competed nine previous times for the title of Miss Illinois, starting at age 18, and was runner up six consecutive times before winning. Now that she is serving as Miss Illinois and has competed for Miss America, she can no longer compete, but she is enthusiastic about completing her year as Miss Illinois. She has dedicated that year to working with the National Pancreas Foundation.

“I have dedicated my year of service as Miss Illinois and career as an attorney to being a vision of hope for those with pancreatic and rare diseases, like my mother,” Bagley said.

Her efforts include recruiting campers, nurses and doctors for Camp Hope, a pediatric pancreatitis summer camp which will be held in June in San Antonio; speaking at the University of Chicago for the National Pancreas Foundation in two weeks; and speaking at a national symposium on the topic of chronic complex patient care from the legal perspective. 

She is also working toward having a scholarship set aside for women in law, in the hope of increasing the number of women in that profession. 

The pageant, held Jan. 4-5 in Orlando, Florida, included a private interview, an on-stage question, evening gown and fitness competitions. Fitness has replaced the bathing suit competition.

Miss America is one of the few pageants that includes a talent competition, Bagley said, and as a dancer since the age of 2, she chose to do a lyrical dance to Celine Dion’s “A New Day Has Come.” Because Bagley’s career and Miss Illinois focus is on those with rare diseases, the song, which is about Dion’s struggles with a rare disease, seemed the most appropriate.

She works in compliance and cybersecurity for CEFCU, and the company has been completely supportive, she said. “My CEO and administrative staff all came to watch me get on the plane for Miss America,” Bagley said. “That is so necessary for women in such a male-dominated field, to have that support.”

The winner, Abbie Stockard, 22, a nursing student at Auburn University in Alabama, was “a light” throughout the pageant, Bagley said.

“You can see me and Miss Alaska jumping up and down and cheering for her (when her name was announced),” Bagley said.

And while she didn’t walk away as Miss America, Bagley’s headshot, private interview outfit and evening gowns were all voted “best” in their categories.

“I did walk away with the spirit of Miss America,” she said. “You walk on that stage as a winner, and you walk off that stage as a winner, whether you walk away as Miss America or not.”