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Sophia Aviles, a junior at Lyons Township High School, earned a national honor that propels her closer to realizing her dreams in pageantry, fashion modeling and animal welfare advocacy.
The 16-year-old from La Grange Park enjoys photography, reading in the park, and volunteering at a local veterinary clinic. Recently, she placed as the second runner-up in the National Miss Illinois Junior Teen Pageant.
The National American Miss Junior Teen program, in which Aviles competed, aims to develop young leaders by teaching practical skills like public speaking, self-presentation, and community service.
The program emphasizes inner beauty, confidence, and personal growth while fostering a fun, family-friendly environment. Contestants also have the opportunity to participate in optional competitions such as Top Model Search and Talent.
Aviles is no stranger to the fashion world. The teenager has participated in Chicago Fashion Week and worked with local designers, using her passion for modeling to build a portfolio of experience that she hopes will lead to more opportunities in the future.
“My mother used to be in pageants when she was young, and I always wanted to experience the comradery and excitement of the pageant world like she did,” Aviles said.
Aviles’ mother, Nicole Morrison, said she hopes success at the national competition will propel her daughter’s dream of furthering her modeling career.
“Sophia has always had an interest in modeling and pageants. She used to play dress-up with her sister and friends, emulating what she saw in pageants I had done when I was younger. Now she’s a young woman who’s taking her ambitions seriously and working hard to achieve them,” Morrison said.
“She is strong and dedicated to this lifestyle, and this pageant would be a tool to assist in her goal in life, to be the next Top Model out of Chicago.”
Beyond her pageant success, Aviles is passionate about animals. She has been volunteering at a veterinary clinic and hopes to use her voice and visibility in pageantry to raise awareness about animal adoption and care.
“I’ve always loved animals, and I believe pageantry gives me a platform to advocate for causes I care about, like finding homes for shelter animals,” she said. “It also helps me grow my experience and confidence in the modeling and pageant world.”
Aviles said her pageant success will further her “goal to give back to the animal community and assisting in finding homes for all the shelter animals out there by giving me a voice and stage to speak on the matter.”
