Agnieszka Zakerta Interview
Miss Illinois USA 2003
Why did you decide to compete in the Miss Illinois USA pageant?
I won my very first pageant at the age of 19. My parents were the ones who encouraged me to enter the competition. I remember I did it for fun without really expecting anything. Little did I know my life was about to change forever. After I won, one of my prizes as Miss Polonia USA 1998 was to compete in Poland at the Miss Polonia Pageant leading to the Miss Universe competition. Once I realized what I was got myself into, I became a super excited. I always watched Miss Universe on TV as a little girl and now I was only one step away from the opportunity to take part in it. A few days later, I received some bad news. The rules in Polandhad changed and I couldn’t take part in the competition since I permanently lived in the U.S. I was distressed upon receiving the news. I realized then how much I wanted this. Despite of what happen, I still had to opportunity to go to my birth country and be a guest at the competition. I was pleasantly surprised when I received an award to represent Poland in Malaysia in the Miss Tourism International Pageant. In 1999, I flew 26 hours to Malaysia. I met other beautiful young women from all over the world and learned about their cultures and experiences. The atmosphere, professionalism, and surroundings of different cultures truly felt like being in the Miss Universe competition. After 2 weeks of exhaustion and preparations, I won the title of Miss Tourism International 1999. I truly felt blessed. I was still in disbelief for a few days after.
A few months later, I decided to enter Miss Illinois USA. I made it into top 10 but didn’t win. I couldn’t figure out what I did wrong. I felt like I had the experience and confidence so I decided to try again the following year. The following year became a repeat of the first time. I was in disbelief. I felt like here I was one year earlier winning on an international level and now I’m back to square one. I noticed a pattern in the system. Most of the girls who won were what’s called “pageant veterans” competing several times before winning. That pattern discouraged me. I thought to myself, I tried once learned from it, and the next time around will be better. Well, that certainly wasn’t the case here. I decided not to compete anymore.
About 2 months later, I was contacted by a major TV station in Poland that was organizing a new beauty competition called Miss Polonii World. It was a competition for young women such as myself who live outside of Poland but hold or at one point held a major pageant title. The competition took part at the break of the millennium. I was announced Miss Polonii World 2000 and won the biggest prize yet, a new car. At that point, I thought I was done with my pageant career for good.
A year later, I spoke with a friend of mine who took part in the Miss Teen Illinois competition. She mentioned that the competition had totally changed and was now run by new directors. After thinking about it long and hard, I decided to give it another try. This time, I was determined to do everything I could to win. I hired a personal trainer and trained for 8 months before the competition. I purchased a beautiful new gown and kept up with daily news to be prepared for any questions I may be asked in the interview portion. That year, Miss Illinois USA had the highest amount of contestants ever. There were over 100 contestants but I felt strong and was determined to win.
What was going through your head when you were announced as the new Miss Illinois USA?
I remember being called into top 5 and thinking “OMG...now I’m in the runner up category” As the announcer slowly called out the other contestants, I found myself standing there with Ashleigh Jones. I remember thinking I already won but since I was unsuccessful in this competition before, there was always a small doubt in my mind. I kept thinking to myself “Ashleigh, please say Ashleigh’s name first”. When the announcer called out Ashleigh first as the runner up I felt as if a large stone had been lifted off my heart. I was grateful, relieved and excited all at once.
You danced with Dick Cheney and attended George Bush’s inauguration, tell us about your experience at both events.
I had the opportunity to meet Dick Cheney at a presidential campaign in Chicago hosted for the Polish-American community. It just so happened that we were both on stage at the same time and all of a sudden the host put on some polka music. Mr. Cheney acted like a real gentleman and asked me to dance. How could I reject. The funniest part was that neither of us really knew how to dance “the polka”. Even funnier was the fact that the polka dance was originally a Czech peasant dance, developed in Eastern Bohemia. It’s not even Polish.J
George W. Bush ended up winning a few months later that year and I attended the inauguration. I didn’t actually have the opportunity to meet the President then but a few years later I did actually meet him at a small luncheon in Michigan. I must admit, it was a heart stopping experience.
What would be your most memorable moment at Miss USA?
My entire experience at Miss USA is most memorable. It’s hard to just focus on one thing and say it was the best since everyday was as exciting as the next. One sad thing I will never forget is learning of my grandfathers passing just a few days before the competition. I was not an easy time for me.
Tell us about the evening gown you wore at Miss USA and how you picked the evening gown
It took me a while to pick a gown. I always liked simple gowns. I never believed beautiful women should be worn by their gowns but the other way around. Just look at Angelina Jolie. She always looks beautiful and no one really pays attention to her dress but her. That’s what I wanted. I wanted the judges to notice me and not my dress. I knew didn’t want white since it’s such a common pageant color and I didn’t really want black either. My mom and I flew to NY with the pageants advisor and visited many designers. After countless hours of searching, I found a plum colored gown designed by Valentino who is one of my favorite designers. It was simple in design and fit me like a glove.
What would be your most memorable moment as Miss Illinois USA?
The most memorable moment as Miss Illinois USA was standing up on stage as a finalist and hearing your name announced as the new Miss Illinois USA. It’s a great feeling to be rewarded for all your hard work.
What emotions were you going through when you had to give away your title as Miss Illinois USA?
I was happy and sad at the same time. I knew I was going to miss being a beauty queen but at the same time I knew it was time for me to move on and give someone else the opportunities I had.
Lastly, what have you been up to since your reign as Miss Illinois USA ended?
Since 2001, I have been the founder and director of a national Polish-American pageant for young women of Polish descent call Miss Polish-American. I finished college that same year I gave up my Miss Illinois USA crown. Since then, I continued to do modeling and hosting while working as a graphic designer.
Two years ago, I got married and am now planning to start a family.
I won my very first pageant at the age of 19. My parents were the ones who encouraged me to enter the competition. I remember I did it for fun without really expecting anything. Little did I know my life was about to change forever. After I won, one of my prizes as Miss Polonia USA 1998 was to compete in Poland at the Miss Polonia Pageant leading to the Miss Universe competition. Once I realized what I was got myself into, I became a super excited. I always watched Miss Universe on TV as a little girl and now I was only one step away from the opportunity to take part in it. A few days later, I received some bad news. The rules in Polandhad changed and I couldn’t take part in the competition since I permanently lived in the U.S. I was distressed upon receiving the news. I realized then how much I wanted this. Despite of what happen, I still had to opportunity to go to my birth country and be a guest at the competition. I was pleasantly surprised when I received an award to represent Poland in Malaysia in the Miss Tourism International Pageant. In 1999, I flew 26 hours to Malaysia. I met other beautiful young women from all over the world and learned about their cultures and experiences. The atmosphere, professionalism, and surroundings of different cultures truly felt like being in the Miss Universe competition. After 2 weeks of exhaustion and preparations, I won the title of Miss Tourism International 1999. I truly felt blessed. I was still in disbelief for a few days after.
A few months later, I decided to enter Miss Illinois USA. I made it into top 10 but didn’t win. I couldn’t figure out what I did wrong. I felt like I had the experience and confidence so I decided to try again the following year. The following year became a repeat of the first time. I was in disbelief. I felt like here I was one year earlier winning on an international level and now I’m back to square one. I noticed a pattern in the system. Most of the girls who won were what’s called “pageant veterans” competing several times before winning. That pattern discouraged me. I thought to myself, I tried once learned from it, and the next time around will be better. Well, that certainly wasn’t the case here. I decided not to compete anymore.
About 2 months later, I was contacted by a major TV station in Poland that was organizing a new beauty competition called Miss Polonii World. It was a competition for young women such as myself who live outside of Poland but hold or at one point held a major pageant title. The competition took part at the break of the millennium. I was announced Miss Polonii World 2000 and won the biggest prize yet, a new car. At that point, I thought I was done with my pageant career for good.
A year later, I spoke with a friend of mine who took part in the Miss Teen Illinois competition. She mentioned that the competition had totally changed and was now run by new directors. After thinking about it long and hard, I decided to give it another try. This time, I was determined to do everything I could to win. I hired a personal trainer and trained for 8 months before the competition. I purchased a beautiful new gown and kept up with daily news to be prepared for any questions I may be asked in the interview portion. That year, Miss Illinois USA had the highest amount of contestants ever. There were over 100 contestants but I felt strong and was determined to win.
What was going through your head when you were announced as the new Miss Illinois USA?
I remember being called into top 5 and thinking “OMG...now I’m in the runner up category” As the announcer slowly called out the other contestants, I found myself standing there with Ashleigh Jones. I remember thinking I already won but since I was unsuccessful in this competition before, there was always a small doubt in my mind. I kept thinking to myself “Ashleigh, please say Ashleigh’s name first”. When the announcer called out Ashleigh first as the runner up I felt as if a large stone had been lifted off my heart. I was grateful, relieved and excited all at once.
You danced with Dick Cheney and attended George Bush’s inauguration, tell us about your experience at both events.
I had the opportunity to meet Dick Cheney at a presidential campaign in Chicago hosted for the Polish-American community. It just so happened that we were both on stage at the same time and all of a sudden the host put on some polka music. Mr. Cheney acted like a real gentleman and asked me to dance. How could I reject. The funniest part was that neither of us really knew how to dance “the polka”. Even funnier was the fact that the polka dance was originally a Czech peasant dance, developed in Eastern Bohemia. It’s not even Polish.J
George W. Bush ended up winning a few months later that year and I attended the inauguration. I didn’t actually have the opportunity to meet the President then but a few years later I did actually meet him at a small luncheon in Michigan. I must admit, it was a heart stopping experience.
What would be your most memorable moment at Miss USA?
My entire experience at Miss USA is most memorable. It’s hard to just focus on one thing and say it was the best since everyday was as exciting as the next. One sad thing I will never forget is learning of my grandfathers passing just a few days before the competition. I was not an easy time for me.
Tell us about the evening gown you wore at Miss USA and how you picked the evening gown
It took me a while to pick a gown. I always liked simple gowns. I never believed beautiful women should be worn by their gowns but the other way around. Just look at Angelina Jolie. She always looks beautiful and no one really pays attention to her dress but her. That’s what I wanted. I wanted the judges to notice me and not my dress. I knew didn’t want white since it’s such a common pageant color and I didn’t really want black either. My mom and I flew to NY with the pageants advisor and visited many designers. After countless hours of searching, I found a plum colored gown designed by Valentino who is one of my favorite designers. It was simple in design and fit me like a glove.
What would be your most memorable moment as Miss Illinois USA?
The most memorable moment as Miss Illinois USA was standing up on stage as a finalist and hearing your name announced as the new Miss Illinois USA. It’s a great feeling to be rewarded for all your hard work.
What emotions were you going through when you had to give away your title as Miss Illinois USA?
I was happy and sad at the same time. I knew I was going to miss being a beauty queen but at the same time I knew it was time for me to move on and give someone else the opportunities I had.
Lastly, what have you been up to since your reign as Miss Illinois USA ended?
Since 2001, I have been the founder and director of a national Polish-American pageant for young women of Polish descent call Miss Polish-American. I finished college that same year I gave up my Miss Illinois USA crown. Since then, I continued to do modeling and hosting while working as a graphic designer.
Two years ago, I got married and am now planning to start a family.