History was made in the 2002 Miss Illinois pageant-sisters placed in the top five. Alexandra Harold, a senior journalism major, placed third runner up. Her sister, Erika Harold, won the title of Miss Illinois and will compete for the title of Miss America.

Alexandra said she enjoyed competing with her sister. Truthfully, she said, the Miss Illinois pageant was hardly a competition between the two.

“We had so much joy together. We both wanted to do well,” Alexandra said. The Harold sisters supported each other through the week of competition.

“I wouldn’t want to share this with anyone else,” Alexandra said.

Alexandra didn’t expect to place so high. Her goal was to place in the top 10 and win the scholar award. She did win the scholar award, and Erika won the community service award.

“It was a pleasant surprise,” Alexandra said.

Robert Harold is the proud father of the sisters. He had mixed emotions while watching the competition.

“It was a surreal experience. We (Robert and his wife) were cheering for one and the other,” Robert said.

Robert was pleased with the results of the pageant.

“Ally (Alexandra) felt it was Erika’s time. Ally wanted her sister to win and to place in the top 10, so we couldn’t ask for anything more,” Robert said.

Erika Harold is a graduate of the University of Illinois. She will attend Harvard Law School where she will pursue public interest law and public policy when she is finished with her year of service as Miss Illinois. She wants to become a lawyer and seek office at the state and/or national level.

There are four portions of the Miss Illinois pageant-swimsuit, interview, evening gown and talent. The interview portion is 40 percent of the competition, and the talent portion is 30 percent of the competition.

Erika is an opera singer, which she used for her talent in the pageant. Her platform is dedicated to positive social changes and halting the climb of youth violence statistics.

Alexandra concentrated on her talent and interview because they made up the majority of the votes. She sang “Reflections” from Disney’s “Mulan” soundtrack. Alexandra feels singing was better than dancing, which she did in previous pageants.

“For Miss Eastern, I was always first runner up. I always danced for talent, and this time I sang,” Alexandra said.

Alexandra’s platform was youth mentoring. She feels her platform was the best part of her pageant experience.

“It’s a positive thing for the community,” Alexandra said.

The Miss Illinois pageant was held in the last week of June at Oakbrook Terrace, near Chicago. Contestants represented 35 areas.

Erika held the Miss Land of Lincoln title and Alexandra held the Miss Springfield title. But Springfield is the Land of Lincoln, right? Not exactly.

The titles are open and closed, meaning they aren’t specific to their regions. The Land of Lincoln title is open to any eligible woman in the state while the Miss Springfield title is open to any eligible woman within a 120-mile radius of Springfield, said Alexandra.

The Miss America pageant will be broadcast at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21 on ABC. For more information on the Miss Illinois pageant, go to www.missil.org.