DECATUR, Ill. – Millikin University alumna Kaitlyn Dixon ’19 will never forget when she met her future roommate and Big Blue classmate Breana Bagley ’19 for the first time.
Kaitly, who had been very active in pageants for several years and had won several teen and miss titles, was the reigning Miss Springfield at the time. As Kaitlyn was getting on the dorm elevator, wearing a jacket that read “Miss Springfield,” Breana shouted to hold the door.
“Breana came in and said, ‘Oh my goodness, are you Miss Springfield?’ She was so excited because she was competing for the title of Miss Springfield in a couple of weeks,” Kaitlyn said. “From there, our friendship just began to grow, and the Miss America Opportunity organization was a special part of that for both of us.”
The pair became fast friends, both pledging Delta Delta Delta, and became roommates during their time at Millikin. Pageants remained a key part of their friendship, and when Breana, who was named Miss Illinois 2024 last June, returned to Millikin for a Miss America send-off event in December, hosted by Millikin, Kaitlyn served as master of ceremonies, sharing her appreciation for their friendship.
“Brenna is such an amazing young woman, and she was so deserving of the Miss Illinois crown. Breana spent so many years here serving our organization as a local title holder, doing numerous events in her local community, and representing her personal platform of fighting pancreatic diseases,” Kaitlyn said. “It has been such a pleasure to be by her side as she has prepared for this journey, and I’m so excited to celebrate her today.”
During the event, Breana held a meet-and-greet with family, friends, and fans, shared insights about her experience as Miss Illinois, and previewed many of the clothing designs that she would take with her to the Miss America competition held in Orlando, Fla., in the Walt Disney Theater at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts from Dec. 31-January 5, 2025.
“Miss America has made me into the woman I am. Miss America has made me a good attorney, it's made me a good woman, it's made me a good friend, and it's made me a good mentor,” Breanna said. “I'm not perfect. I always have room to improve in all of those areas, but I know I wouldn't be here without the community that provided the path for me to choose my life.”
Each Miss America candidate has a community service initiative (CSI) that they work closely with and Breana, who grew up in Decatur and Mount Zion, has invested her time and effort with the National Pancreas Foundation, a group close to her heart. Breana’s mother was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis, and through Breana’s efforts, more than five million dollars has been raised to create new treatment options, earning Breana the Miss America Opportunity’s Vision of Hope award.
“When my mother became ill during my freshman year of college here at Millikin, I remember walking into my dorm. I didn't really have many friends, and I was trying to find who I was as a person. And I saw this girl, Kaitlyn, standing in my dorm elevator with a Miss Springfield jacket,” Breana said. “I had previously just googled what Miss America was, but she sold me on it. I could not be more thankful for having met her, for our friendship, and for the opportunity that has truly changed my life.”
After graduating from Millikin, Breana attended the Southern Illinois University School of Law and is now an attorney for Citizens Equity First Credit Union (CEFCU). She is the first practicing attorney to serve as Miss Illinois and only the second practicing attorney to compete in Miss America. As part of her Miss Illinois charitable mission, she is working towards a scholarship focused on prompting women in law, hoping to increase the number of women in that profession.
Other regional pageant titleholders from around Illinois shared their words of encouragement for Breana, and fans attending the send-off event could write inspirational message for Breana, which she would read during her downtime during the Miss America competition.
“There's something about the Miss America Opportunity and the sisterhood that it builds. There are so many sisterhoods here, and I encourage you all, if this wasn't your year, or if you do have this desire to one day compete (in a pageant), it can truly change your life,” Breana said. “We are all competing with each other, not against each other. When it is your time and if it's meant for you, the opportunity will not pass you by.”
About Miss Illinois
Since its inception on the Atlantic City Boardwalk in 1921, the Miss America Organization has served to provide scholarship and leadership opportunities for women. Miss Illinois, the official state final to Miss America, was first held in 1927 and saw the crowning of Lois Delander. Though Miss Chicago had competed in the pageant since 1921, Delander was the first Miss Illinois sent to represent the state, and subsequently, she won the title of Miss America in 1927. Illinois has since had four additional national winners, with Judith Ford (1969), Marjorie Judith Vincent (1991), Katherine Shindle (1998), and Erika Harold (2003), making Illinois one of the most successful states in the Miss America Competition.
