3rd runner-up Miss Kansas Teen USA 2020, 1st runner-up Miss Illinois Teen USA 2019, 3rd runner-up 2018, Semi-finalist 2017
Samantha Elliott was crowned Miss Illinois USA on 28 May 2023 and represented Illinois at Miss USA 2023 in Reno, Nevada. A self proclaimed “farm girl” from Freeport, in northern Illinois, Samantha was a Teen runner-up in both Illinois and Kansas on her journey to the title.
Miss Illinois USA 2023 Samantha Elliott grew up in a small Illinois town on a goat and horse farm. She spent most of her summers traveling to goat shows and has been riding horses since she was just 3 days old. At the age of 8, she rescued her beloved horse, Rosabell, from the kill pen.
Currently, Samantha is pursuing a Master’s of Accounting and is testing for her CPA. She’s one of only 100 Graduate School Fellowship recipients from the University of Alabama.
After school, she will begin working for a Big Four accounting firm as a Federal Auditor auditing the US Army and eventually become an FBI Forensic Accountant. Samantha advocates for financial literacy because it’s not taught in schools but impacts everyone. She has partnered with various schools, colleges, and non-profits like RAMP to bring financial literacy workshops and resources to people of all backgrounds.
The on-stage moments, the tension of the final two and the glory of the crowning, here are Samantha’s state pageant photos.
Lights, camera, action! Professional photoshoots are one of the perks that comes from winning a title.
Samantha competed for the Teen title four times, three in Illinois and once in Kansas.
All beautiful things must come to an end, no matter how bittersweet. See Samantha’s farewell walk and other candids from the weekend she crowned her successor Grace Rodi as Miss Illinois USA 2024.
