Twenty-one-year-old Lila Szyryj became the first Madison native and first Chinese American to win the title of Miss Wisconsin at the state pageant competition held on June 24 at the Albert Kimball Auditorium in Oshkosh.
Szyryj, who was competing as Miss South Central, was among a field of 25 candidates representing their communities across the state. For the talent phase of the competition, Szyryj performed a classical piano solo, “Revolutionary Etude,” by Frédéric Chopin.
Founded in 1936, the Miss Wisconsin Scholarship Organization is a preliminary to the Miss America Organization, one of the nation’s leading achievement programs and the world’s largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women. Last year, the Miss America Organization and its state and local organizations made available more than $45 million in cash and scholarship assistance.
Szyryj earned a bachelor of arts degree in journalism and mass communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2022. She will have the chance to compete for the Miss America 2024 crown in addition to receiving a scholarship of $12,500 and other prizes and honors.
Mandi Genord, Miss Rock River Valley, finished in second place, and Paige Eide, Miss Madison, came in third.
