Niles West class of 2004 graduate Alicia Manzanares was crowned Mrs. Illinois American for 2024 on June 15. After a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication, Manzanares credits her time at West for helping her to gain the confidence she needed for her first beauty pageant. Competing in beauty pageants is not a common occurrence for many girls, and Manzanares was inspired by many factors to compete.
“As a young girl, I used to watch Miss Universe with my mom on TV. I remember looking up to these young women and being in awe of their beauty and their grace. As I grew older, I started doing a lot of community service by coaching youth and by encouraging students to complete their education. While I was a dance coach for Futuro Latino at Niles West High School, I really saw the impact that my role and involvement could have in encouraging and mentoring students and help change someone’s life. So, I decided to start getting involved in beauty pageants and it has been an honor getting to represent my community, my family and my state,” Manzanares said.
While Manzanares is an inspiration to many with her community work and time spent as the Futuro Latino dance coach, there are many people who influenced and helped her. She had many teachers at West who assisted her.
“Mr. Koch, who was my band teacher, was someone that really helped and shaped my high school career. He helped me build confidence, discipline, and work ethic that I carry on not just in my pageant career, but in my everyday life. There were other teachers who were such a pleasure to take classes with: Mrs. Walvoord, Mr. Wack, Mrs. Ramseyer, Mrs. Barker made such a difference in my life,” Manzanares said.
Niles West English Teacher Kimberly Barker was previously Manzanares’ English teacher. Barker was proud after seeing her former student accomplish such great achievements and explains what an honor it is to have made a difference in her life.
“Alicia was a very dedicated student and such a vibrant young woman. I remember working with her on English assignments and thinking that she was very committed to whatever she put her mind to. I’m really impressed by her commitment to trying something new with the pageant program. It has been lovely to keep in touch with her, and I am honored to have had an impact on her,” Barker said.
Participating in pageants is a lot of work with countless hours of practicing, so it is helpful to have people for support. Luckily Manzanares had the support system from her husband Jamie Manzanares and her director Julie Aceto.
“I was often involved behind the scenes, capturing clips at photoshoots, driving her to appearances, and helping her with dress fittings. Most importantly, I reminded her throughout the journey of the love and support she has from her friends and family, as well as the meaningful work she’s done for her community. Helping her focus on her mission and encouraging her to savor every moment of this once-in-a-lifetime experience were key ways I supported her. Having friends and family there can be uplifting, and I was proud to be part of that support system for her,” J.Manzanares said.
Manzanares advises other young girls who might want to compete in pageants or who just need to gain confidence in their everyday life.
“Find your purpose first, because without that crystal clear purpose, the journey can be very hard. But if you do have a clear understanding of what you want your mission to be and how you want to contribute to society, then the rest of it can become a little bit easier. At the end of the day, it makes everything worth it because you see the impact that your life has on others and that’s, to me, the most beautiful part of being Mrs. Illinois American 2024,” Manzanres said.
