2 Bolingbrook Girls to Compete in State Pageant

Two young girls have been chosen as state finalists for the National American Miss Pageant. 

Both Alaine Christine Bell, 4, and Jada Marie Andrews, 5, will compete in the competition, to be held Sept. 2 and 3 in St. Charles. Andrews and Bell were chosen through an interview to be state finalists. Girls had to be personally invited to interview. 

The competition consists of formal wear, personal introduction, an interview and community involvement. 

Jada Marie Andrews 

Andrews has already auditioned for Disney and enjoys modeling and fashion. 

"My family decided to get involved when we realized how talented she was in speaking, dancing and modeling when she was three," wrote her mother, Dorothy, in an e-mail.

She hopes Jada Andrews will receive positive self-image, natural beauty, self-confidence and communication skills from the pageant.

"She will feel good about herself and gain the competitive edge to succeed later in whatever field she chooses; from a professional model, to business to life itself."

Andrews is smart, pleasant, funny and energetic with great potential, her mother wrote. 

Alaine Christine Bell 

This will be the first pageant for Bell. She and her family decided to participate to build self-esteem and learn interviewing skills. 

"Lately, my four year old daugther has been talking about how she looks and how she's not pretty," her mother, Audrey Bruce, wrote in an e-mail. "This pageant is to build her self-confidence and to teach her how to speak comfortable around all people, young and old."

Bruce hopes Bell will learn skills such as making good eye contact, speaking confidently and sitting properly during an interview.

Alaine, is very outgoing, Bruce wrote, but with strangers, she's withdrawn.

"I'm hoping that she opens up and become confident in herself and her abilities as a four-year-old," Bruce wrote. "Not to mention, she loves to dress up!!"

More on Bell:  She's a girly-girl who loves singing, dancing, swimming, gymnastics, ballet and tee ball. She's a people person, very caring and smart. She loves school and she loves to read. She will start K4 at this fall. Her favorite subjects are reading and math.