From Monmouth to the State-wide Stage

By: Forgottonia Times™ Report

McKinley Rexroat waves to the crowd during the college's Homecoming parade last fall.

Photo by Kent Kriegshauser.

For McKinley Rexroat, the decision to stay local for college wasn’t always easy. But now, as a rising figure in the pageant world, she’s certain she made the right choice.

“I was nervous about staying in my hometown for college,” said Rexroat, a first-year communication studies major at Monmouth College. “But now I realize that all the opportunities I need have been right in front of me all my life.”

Rexroat grew up in Monmouth and still calls it home. Last summer, she was crowned Warren County Fair Queen, a title that led her to compete in the Illinois County Fair Queen Pageant in Springfield this January. Out of 74 total contestants from across the state, she placed in the top 16.

The experience, she said, was about more than crowns and evening gowns. “I’ve learned things in pageants that I will carry into every professional field of my life, and I’ve learned so much about myself.”

Rexroat brought a strong background in public speaking and a deep connection to her community to the stage at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Springfield. She highlighted her education at Monmouth College throughout the competition, weaving in facts from class lectures during interview rounds.

Still, it was the encouragement from home that resonated most. “Everyone on campus has been amazing,” she said. “It was so reassuring to compete in a state pageant knowing I had a whole community rallying behind me.”

Balancing academics, pageant duties, her own podcast “Mondays with McKinley,” and extracurriculars — she’s also a music minor — takes careful planning, she said. But the support she receives from faculty, peers, and neighbors makes it manageable.

“Representing the community that has supported me since I was six years old is surreal, and I will forever be grateful for the amazing people I’ve met through this experience.”