Miss Illinois Teen USA 2016 Olivia Pura is currently a senior at Lake Zurich High School, where she maintained High Honor Roll status and straight A’s throughout her four years. As president of Habitat for Humanity and member of Student Council, Orchesis, and National Honor Society, Olivia values both community and school involvement. She has received national recognition from the Presidential Scholars Program for her academic achievement, and plans to major in biochemistry next year – she has been accepted into Stanford, Yale and Northwestern among others. In her free time, Olivia enjoys dancing, studio art, and traveling. She is a first generation Polish-American, and enjoys the cultural and lingual influence in her family.

As Miss Illinois Teen USA, Olivia has already begun working with several charities including Warriors for Ross, St. Jude’s, the USO, and Special Olympics Illinois. She has also started her own non-profit organization, Blanket Buddies Project, which raises money to provide hand-made blankets for children in hospitals. Throughout her reign, Olivia’s goal is to be a relatable, positive role model for both girls and boys, teaching them the importance of big dreams and hard work. Being able to speak to several elementary and middle schools in Illinois has been one of her favorite opportunities as a titleholder.