7-year-Old Bolingbrook Girl Enters Pageant Boasting Killer Smile & Amazing Skill Set

Everything you need to know about why 7-year-old Bolingbrook resident Maya Pettiford rates as a strong candidate for the title of Miss Jr. Pre-Teen Chicago is in her contestant’s biography.

“My favorite colors are blue and purple,” Maya writes. “I am a smart, fun-loving, adventurous and imaginative little girl. I am a computer whiz, love to play the piano/keyboard and create songs. I love to read books and write stories.”

No wonder Pettiford was selected to participate in the 2014 Miss Jr. Pre-Teen Chicago pageant, a competition that will take place on Sunday, Oct. 27, at Theodore Roosevelt High School, 3436 W. Wilson Ave., Chicago.

Never mind that smile. She interviews well.

“Maya submitted an application and took part in an interview that was conducted by this year’s Chicago Pageant Coordinator,” said her mother, Donna Pettiford.

Maya is a second-grader at Jamie McGee Elementary School. She will be competing for cash prizes and specialty gifts in the Miss Jr. Pre-Teen division for girls between the ages of 7-9 and hoping to gain a spot in the national finals in Orlando, Fla., in 2014.

More than $30,000 in prizes and awards will be presented at the national competition, while each local winner is treated to a six-day, five-night all-expenses paid trip and will stay at the Rosen Center Hotel in Orlando.

In the Chicago qualifier, each of the local contestants will compete in modeling routines, which include casual wear and formal wear, said Donna Pettiford.

“Most important, Maya will display her personality and interviewing skills while interviewing with this year’s Chicago judging panel,” Pettiford said. “Personality is the No. 1 aspect that each contestant is judged on during all phases of competition.”

Pettigrew is seeking community business officials, local organization leaders and private individuals to sponsor Maya on her quest. Anyone interested in becoming a sponsor is asked to contact the Miss Jr. Pre-Teen Chicago Pageant Coordinator at 1-877-403-6678.