On Saturday, December 16, 2023, Olivia Egert of Geneseo, Illinois was crowned Miss Peoria Metro 2024 at Illinois Central College Performing Arts Center, IL. Egert will represent the Peoria Metropolis area at the coveted Miss Illinois (a state preliminary to Miss America) competition in June. Egert is currently a sophomore at The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the Division of General Studies.

Egert is a 2022 Summa Cum Laude graduate of Geneseo High School, holding presidency/leadership in her class, Key Club, Student Council and other service organizations. Becoming hands on with so many service organizations in high school, Olivia fell in love with the idea of leadership. In her high school career, Olivia founded her community service initiative “Project Next in Line: Building the Leader Within You.” In her platform, Olivia focuses on the pillars of student activism, student volunteerism and student leadership among her generation to develop strong and effective role models for the youth in our communities to look up to.

At 12 months old, Olivia was adopted from China by her parents, Ryan and Penny Egert. When Egert started her journey in the Miss Illinois’ Teen organization in 2019, she came to the decision to share her story for the competition’s Talent/HER Story judged portion. Her monologue shares intimate details about her adoption including awareness of China’s one child law that was present when she was born. The original piece morphs into an appreciation for freedom and her pride for being an American Citizen. Olivia’s HER Story, Proud to Be An American, has helped her earn over $2,500 in scholarships through the Miss America Opportunity. During her reign as Miss Peoria Metro, Egert hopes to impact her community through Project Next in Line and its complimentary pillars.

The 2024 Miss Illinois Competition Finals will take place June 12-14, 2024 at the Marion Cultural and Civic Center in Marion, IL. She plans on continuing her preparation by volunteering in her community and marketing herself amongst the state of Illinois.During the state competition, the delegates were scored in five categories - an individual interview with judges (30%), Lifestyle and Fitness (20%), Talent/HER Story (20%), Evening Gown (20%) and Onstage Question (10%).

For more information on the competition you can visit www.missamerica.org or www.missillinois.org. You may also request Olivia Egert, Miss Peoria Metro 2024 to appear at your event by contacting loveinvolumes@gmail.com or private messaging the Miss Peoria Metro Organization Facebook Page. Make sure to keep up with her journey to the Miss Illinois title on Instagram www.instagram.com/MissPeoriaMetro/.