November 22, 2022

Miss Leesburg Scholarship Pageant Crowns New Winners

0.9 min read| Published On: November 22nd, 2022|

By James Combs

Miss Leesburg Scholarship Pageant Crowns New Winners

0.9 min read| Published On: November 22nd, 2022|

The 35th annual Miss Leesburg Scholarship Pageant recently crowned five young women who have big hearts for community service. They will represent Leesburg at special events, parades, and community activities throughout the year.

The 2022-2023 representatives are:

Tiny Miss Leesburg—Carleigh Smith

Little Miss—Abby Carlton

Junior Miss—Shaylin Shumate

Teen Miss—Meghan Boliek

Miss Leesburg—Lily Boliek

This marks only the second time in the program’s 35-year history that two sisters won in the same year. In 2017, Chloe and Eva Henderson were crowned together. Lily is 16 (she’ll turn 17 on Friday) and is a junior at First Academy-Leesburg. Meghan is a 15-year-old sophomore at First Academy-Leesburg. They are the daughters of Robert and Jennifer Boliek.

“Having two daughters in the pageant was nerve-racking,” Jennifer says. “When Meghan won Teen Miss, I thought to myself this could go really well or really bad if one of them won and the other didn’t. Honestly, it was an amazing feeling to see them both win. I couldn’t believe it.”

Linda Watts, a resident of Leesburg, organized the Miss Leesburg Pageant in 1986 and in 1997 changed the name to the Miss Leesburg Scholarship Pageant. The purpose of the program is to select local girls to represent their hometown as role models and to promote pride in the community by active involvement in many areas, including volunteer service work.

 

One Comment

  1. Avatar
    Amanda Neil November 22, 2022 at 9:01 pm - Reply

    I love love seeing these young ladies around town.

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About the Author: James Combs

James Combs was a pillar of Akers Media Group since its inception in 2008. Over the years, he had the honor of interviewing Lake & Sumter County's most fascinating personalities, from innovative business owners to heroic war veterans, bringing their incredible stories to life. Throughout his career, James earned over 50 awards for writing excellence, a testament to his talent and dedication. In 2021, he was inducted into the Akers Media Group Hall of Fame. Sadly, James passed away in 2023 after a courageous battle with cancer. His legacy of storytelling and excellence continues to inspire us all.

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