A student at SIU School of Medicine will vie for the Miss America crown this month.
Jessica Tilton will represent the state of Illinois in the Miss America competition on January 14 from Orlando, Florida.
She is halfway through her first year at SIU School of Medicine in Carbondale. Scholarships from the Miss America Opportunity have helped fund her education.
Tilton studied biology at Bradley University. In fact, she taught biology courses at Bradley University after earning her undergraduate degree and supervised a group of research students for two years before applying to medical school.
The 25-year-old Tilton was born in Texas, but moved to Washington, Illinois when she was seven.
She flies to Florida soon to begin rehearsals and preliminary events for the January 14 event.
For more information on Tilton's background, click here.
