Miss International Pageant Week!

 I finally arrived in Chicago Saturday evening and have been having the time of my life so far through pageant week meeting all of the Miss and Teen contestants and attending the fun events planned for us all! Check out what I've been up to since the beginning of the week!

 

Day 1: Orientation for the Miss contestants began Monday night at 8:00 pm. It was so great to meet all of my new pageant sisters and the wonderful pageant staff!



Day 2: This morning (Tuesday), I awoke at 5am to get my hair and makeup done by my fantastic makeup artist, Miss Kara Knudsen for a long day of events! We began the morning off with a bus ride to the John Hancock Observatory, then traveled to the Lincoln Park Zoo, and finally to the Boys and Girls Club!

It was such an amazing experience riding up to the 94th floor of the John Hancock building, and the view was spectacular!

 

The zoo was such a fun experience viewing the exotic animals and greeting children and their families!

 

Additionally, we had a group dinner tonight with an inspirational talk by Eddie Peterson! It was so fun dressing up in our gowns and enjoying a nice sit-down dinner together.

 

Day 3: Today was full of rehearsals, rehearsals, rehearsals!

In the evening, I attended the Princess Ball at the Skokie Library; working with little girls on princess-themed activities and signing autographs! I have never felt more like a princess in my entire life, and I had such an amazing time doing crafts with a beautiful two year old little girl!

Day 4: Today I began my day with my interview, which went fantastically! I had 5 minute interviews with 5 different judges to discuss my future plans as Miss International and my platform of Spark Your Heart/Spark Your Little Heart Guild.

 

After interviews I had a day off from rehearsals and appearances, so I spent some much-needed time with my family! In the evening, I attended the Miss Teen International prelims! The show was awesome, and made me even more excited to compete in the Miss Prelims the next night!

Day 5: The longest day of rehearsals, by far! Rehearsals were all day long, until this evening where I competed in the preliminary competition! It was so much fun- I almost forgot how much I absolutely love the adrenaline rush of performing on stage and competing.

I am happy with how I performed this evening!

 

Day 6: The final day. I can't believe it's finally here. At first I thought Pageant Week would be the longest week of my life when, in fact, it turned out to be the shortest.

I have made some of the most amazing friendships with the greatest, most driven women in the world. I could not be more grateful to have had the opportunity to compete here in Chicago at the Miss International Pageant and to have gained the experiences I have within the last week.

 

Tonight was the Miss International final competition. I did not place in the Top 10, but I absolutely loved the experience and the friendships, and I feel that I did the very best I could have! I am one of the very youngest contestants in the pageant, competing at the minimal age for the Miss Division against women up to 28 years old! Not to mention, I was competing against 43 other beautiful, established women from all over the world!

Congratulations to the new Miss International 2013, Jesse Ladou, and thank you to my outstanding family and sponsors for all of your support!

This certainly isn't the end of my journey!

You haven't seen the last of me yet ; )

 

Xox,

Jillian Roels

Miss Washington International 2013

 

 

 

 

Recent Appearances in the Community

Hi all!

Over the past couple of months I have made some really fun appearances I thought I would share with you!

 

 

On July 6, I made an appearance at the Miss Washington America pageant where I watched as Reina Almon was crowned the new Miss Washington among several other beautiful women and former pageant competitors of mine! The production and choreography was absolutely fabulous, and it was an all-around fun night!  

Just a couple of days after, on July 9, I made an appearance at Trilogy in Redmond Ridge; a 55+ active living community. I had a lot of fun getting to know some wonderful individuals within my community while sharing my mission of Spark Your Heart and Spark Your Little Heart Guild at Seattle Children's Hospital. Additionally, I discovered that Trilogy works with Seattle Children's Hospital as well and would be interested in partnering with Spark Your Little Heart Guild in the future! I had such a great time getting to know these folks!

Just last weekend, before traveling off to Nationals, I participated in the annual Redmond Derby Days Parade with my Miss Teen Washington International Elizabeth Stewart. We drove in the back of a gorgeous, brand new VW Bug sponsored by Chaplins in Bellevue, and waved to all the little kids and their families! I had such a good time and the weather was just perfect for the event! Special thanks to Chaplin's for providing such a cute ride for the parade!

 



Previous Events & Appearances as Miss Washington International 2013

Before I began blogging my journey as Miss Washington International 2013, I was involved in several appearances, events, and outreach projects!

One of my first and favorite projects as your Miss Washington International 2013 was visiting children at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital at Tacoma General Hospital on December 28, 2013. I spent a little bit of time with each of the kids and presented them with princess/king paper crowns, princess wands, and glow sticks.
Visiting kids at one of the Children's Hospital locations has been a dream of mine for years, and I was thrilled that Mary Bridge Children's Hospital recognized my affiliation with the hospital through Spark Your Little Heart Guild, and allowed me the opportunity to visit with some of the children.

Throughout the first couple of weeks of February, I held a scavenger hunt event on my campus at Seattle Pacific University to raise awareness of the National Go Red for Women Campaign. Healthy heart facts were scattered around my University's campus to educate students on how to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle to prevent heart disease. Students were to locate these facts, fill out the ballot referring back to each fact, and enter the ballot to win prizes.
Additionally, on February 2, 2013 I participated in the Macy's Go Red for Women Fashion Show at Alderwood Mall, which captivated a large audience around Macy's new red fashion designs while raising awareness of the Go Red for Women Campaign.

On March 10, 2013, I made an appearance at the Miss Seattle 2013 pageant to watch Delia Lubanovici win the title of Miss Seattle! I was a competitor last year in the Miss Seattle pageant (one of two preliminary competitions to Miss America) along with Delia and although I was the youngest competitor having just turned 18, I won a scholarship for my Platform and Community Service.
I was so extremely excited to see Delia win the title of Miss Seattle 2013 - very much deserved!
(Pictured: Alicia Gonzales, Miss Thurston County 2013, and I at Miss Seattle)

Shortly after, on March 19, 2013, I attended the Youth Eastside Services (YES) Breakfast Fundraising Event where children/teens, families, counselors, and advocates for YES spoke about their positive experiences within the program. The breakfast event was such an honor to be a part of, and I ended up making some incredible connections. Additionally, my family made a donation to YES, and Microsoft matched our donation.
To learn more about Youth Eastside Services and how you can make a contribution, visit: http://www.youtheastsideservices.org/
(Pictured: My mom Marylou and I at the YES Event)

March was quite the busy month for me, as I also served on the panel as a mock judge for the Mrs. Washington International 2013 pageant. I had such a great time being on the other side of the interviewing process, and I had the opportunity to meet each of the contestants vying for the title of Mrs. Washington International 2013 on a personal level and learn all about each of their platforms. Not to mention, it was great practice for me to begin thinking of potential questions I could be asked at the Miss International pageant in July!
(Pictured: Kat Kim, creator of The Beauty Uprising (www.beautyuprising.com), and me at the Mrs. Washington International mock interviews)

 Due to my previous experiences in modeling/fashion shows, my past affiliation with Macy's at the Go Red event, and my title as Miss Washington International 2013, I was asked to be a part of Macy's Prom Event at Alderwood Mall on April 6, 2013. I modeled four different styles of prom dresses to promote the new prom dress line available at Macy's for the season. The event consisted of the fashion show, free treats and prizes, and an awesome DJ!

 On April 20, 2013, Elizabeth Stewart (Miss Teen Washington International 2013) and I helped out and made an appearance at the Mrs. Washington International 2013 pageant in Seattle. That night, we finally met our new sister, the winner of the Mrs. Washington International 2013 title, Charlotte Shores! I am so excited to see what wonderful things the year has in store for her!
(Pictured: Elizabeth Stewart (left), Charlotte Shores (middle), and myself (right))

 On May 4, 2013, my mom MaryLou and I held a small auction, donation, and Stella & Dot event with Stella & Dot distributor and my high school Child Psychology teacher Heather Chadwick. With the gracious help of Mrs. Chadwick and her Child Psychology classes, several boxes of books, toys, and stuffed animals were collected for Seattle Children's Hospital as part of Spark Your Little Heart Guild.
Thank you so much to Heather Chadwick and her amazing Child Psychology classes for your generosity and determination to bring together so many items for Seattle Children's Hospital!
(Pictured: Heather Chadwick and me surrounded by all of the generous donations!)

Finally, my most recent appearance was this last weekend on Saturday, May 25, 2013 where I judged a young children's beauty pageant on behalf of Patriot Pageants! I was one of two judges for four contestants ranging in ages from 3 to 11 years old. This was a whole different kind of pageant experience for me, and I had such a fun time with it!
(Pictured: Me and other judge (Mrs. Washington International 2013 contestant) Tricia Harder with the four contestants of the Patriot Pageant)

Keep on the lookout for new posts regarding appearances and events I attend as Miss Washington International 2013!
If you would like to learn more about my nonprofit organization, guild with Seattle Children's Hospital, or would like for me to make an appearance at an event, please visit www.sparkyourheart.org which will provide you with information regarding what I do and who to contact!
Also, please like my Facebook page by searching Miss Washington-International 2013 or by visiting this link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Miss-Washington-International-2013/437999526266305?fref=ts
You may also contact me regarding signatures and appearances via my Facebook page.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

XOX,
Jillian Roels, Miss Washington International 2013

King County Realtor's Association: First Citizen Scholarship and Award Banquet

Today I attended the King County Realtor's Association First Citizen Scholarship and Award Banquet in Seattle, where I was a recipient of the First Citizen Scholarship for the second consecutive year! It is such an incredible honor to be chosen as a recipient of this scholarship, and to have been among some of Washington's most significant innovators, philanthropists, and previous First Citizen Award recipients. Among these individuals were Slade Gorton (former governor and U.S. Senator), Herb M. Bridge (Mary Bridge Hospital), The McCaw Family (McCaw Hall), and the 2013 First Citizen Award recipient Mr. Lenny Wilkens (Former NBA player, coach, and legend!).
It was such an honor to meet Mr. Wilkens and to get a photo with him (pictured below).

Attached are the links to read the list of First Citizen Scholarship recipients (look for my name!) and to learn more about the 2013 First Citizen Award recipient Lenny Wilkens, as well as information regarding the Realtors Scholarship Program:

http://www.nwrealtor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63&Itemid=7

http://www.nwrealtor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=417:2013-first-citizen-banquet&catid=192:sfc-banquet&Itemid=108

XOX,
Jillian Roels, Miss Washington International 2013

Photo: Lenny Wilkens (2013 First Citizen Award Recipient) and Jillian Roels (First Citizen Scholarship Recipient)

Intro: Your Current Miss Washington International 2013

I am Jillian Roels, as well as your current reigning Miss Washington International 2013!
I was crowned Miss Washington International in November 2012, but have just now decided to document my experiences as a titleholder and my journey to Miss International in Chicago this July!

To give a little bit of background on who I am, I am currently a Freshman at Seattle Pacific University studying Sociology with thoughts of double majoring/minoring in Special Education and possibly Communications.
I have a strong passion for working with children and have experience as a teacher, coach, and mentor through programs such as Girl Talk and Urban Involvement/Neighborhood House, and with my current jobs as an assistant teacher at The Goddard School and as a gymnastics coach with Falcon Gymnastics.

I have a strong background in community outreach, as I am the Executive Director of Spark Your Heart; my nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring and performing random acts of kindness. Additionally, I am the Executive Director of Spark Your Little Heart Guild at the Seattle Children's Hospital, which raises funds for uncompensated care for families. You can read more about Spark Your Heart and Spark Your Little Heart Guild's outreach projects, as well as information on how to get involved at www.sparkyourheart.org.

In addition to my community outreach and involvement, I love competitive cheerleading and have been a cheerleader on Varsity, All-Star, and a Collegiate team for four years. I also enjoy gymnastics/tumbling, of which I have been in and out of since the age of three, as well as dance, as I was a dancer for three years.

As your Miss Washington International, I am dedicated to making a difference throughout Washington and on a national/international level. I look forward to updating you all on my journey as a representative for Washington State and throughout my adventures leading up to and during the Miss International pageant competition this summer!
Voting for your favorite contestant is currently in progress online at http://www.miss-international.us/vcontestants.php.
I would greatly appreciate your vote!

XOX,
Jillian Roels, Miss Washington International 2013