Did you know that the tradition of selecting Miss Huntley goes back to 1949? This year, on July 19, another Miss Huntley was chosen for 2025. The Miss Huntley/Lake in the Hills Scholarship Pageant promotes the personal and professional growth of young women. The annual scholarship pageant celebrates the talents and accomplishments of young women in the community and aims to promote confidence, leadership, and personal development. The 2025 Miss Huntley is Destiny Tolbert, and Kruthi Aiyer was selected as Miss Lake in the Hills.
Sara Mitchell emphasized the inclusivity of the pageant, stating, “The girls apply to the pageant, telling us about themselves and what they want to do in life. It’s a resume about them that we share with the judges. No one gets turned down. They all are eligible for the scholarship.”
This reassurance of acceptance is a key aspect of the Miss Huntley pageant, making it a welcoming platform for all aspiring young women.
Applicants must be between the ages of 15 and 20. All of the applicants obtain sponsors. Local businesses support the event by sponsoring girls with donations.
Katie Mitchell, Miss Huntley 2024, said, “We work for seven weeks to prepare for the pageant. We work with the directors and past Miss Huntleys. We meet twice a week to practice our interview and work on our poise, walking in heels.”
The interview portion of the pageant gives the highest points toward the title, which is 45 points.
Katie said, “The interview is about us. We talk about ourselves, our activities, hobbies, family, and our volunteer work.”
Sara said, “One of the assignments that the girls do is create a commercial to showcase their sponsor. It is a fun assignment. The girls’ personalities shine through their commercial.”
The girls also have an opportunity to present themselves in an evening gown.
Katie said, “It’s not a beauty competition, but an opportunity to present ourselves with confidence and poise.”
At the pageant, the girls are asked one spontaneous question. Katie said, “The questions are personal to our goals, our involvement in the community, and why we would want the title of Miss Huntley.”
Sara, Katie’s mom, has been involved with the pageant for 25 years.
Sara said, “In the beginning, we were under the umbrella of Huntley’s Chamber of Commerce. Currently, we are our entity. Our committee members make the pageant work. We help secure sponsors, when necessary, recruit judges from outside our community, and do whatever is needed for this event. Our local businesses in town have been extremely supportive.”
Katie has grown up with the pageant, tagging along with her mom when she was younger. In 2013, Katie was photographed along with Miss Huntley as “Miss Princess.”
Sara said, “I am so incredibly proud of Katie. She took this challenge and not only did she win, but she worked hard to represent our community positively.”
Sara said, “Our pageant, having two titleholders since 2012, allows the girls to have a ‘Sister Queen’ to share their journey with. Katie loved being able to share so many memories with our Miss Lake in The Hills, Sophya Anbar, throughout this process. While they graduated together from HHS in 2023, they didn’t know each other, but have now become close and grown together throughout the last year.”
As Miss Huntley, in addition to attending events, Katie recruited girls to apply for the title.
“I have talked and encouraged over fifty girls to apply. My mother and I had a table at Huntley High School, and we encouraged applicants. We tried to get the message across that this is not a beauty contest, but an opportunity to present yourself and be a role model.”
Katie’s year as Miss Huntley has led to many memorable moments. “I loved it all, just recently at the Huntley 4th of July, the kids were so excited to see me and were calling me Princess. I enjoyed going to the Tuesday night concerts downtown, the tree lighting. All of it was memorable.”
Katie will return to Loyola in the fall, where she is studying psychology and playing softball.
Katie said, “One of the best moments in my life was winning the softball scholarship, but as Miss Huntley, I grew, and I learned about my community. Inspiring little kids has impacted and motivated me.”
Katie is not leaving pageantry completely. She plans to continue staying involved in the pageant.
“I realized how much this experience meant to me and how much I have grown in the past year,” she said. “My happiest experience is my time as Miss Huntley, representing our community.”
1 Comment
What a surprise. A pageant Mom’s daughter wins. It’s not who you are but who you know. Not a fixed event at all. Lol