Though Ashley Hatfield will be representing the entire state of Illinois this week at the Miss America pageant, Southern Illinoisans can take pride in the fact that one of our own might soon be wearing the legendary crown.

It's been a wild ride, and no matter what happens Saturday night in Las Vegas, it won't slow down anytime soon.

Born and raised in Anna, Hatfield's family is also from Southern Illinois. Her father, Bill, is the superintendent of Massac County Unit District No. 1, and her mother, Belinda, works at Anna-Jonesboro National Bank.

Hatfield credits her parents for her drive and her ability to believe in herself.

"Education was big in my household," she said. "Excelling at the things you do. If you choose to do something, do it 110 percent, don't do it halfway."

At 17, Hatfield competed in her first pageant, the Miss Southern Illinois Teen Pageant. But the title wasn't her main reason for competing.

"I love to sing, and I think that's why I really wanted to do it in the first place, because I didn't get to sing in front of very many people," she said.

When she was 18, Hatfield was crowned Miss Southern Illinois, which led her to the Miss Illinois pageant for the first time. Though she didn't win, it was an experience that stuck in the back of her mind, as well as the mind of her pageant coach, Karen Sala.

"About every six or seven months, I would talk to her or her mom on the phone and ask if she was still thinking about it," Sala said.

For the next six years, Hatfield would focus on school.

As a teen, she worked with people with disabilities at Mulberry Manor in Anna. That experience led to her decision to become a speech pathologist.

"I worked there, and I loved it, I absolutely loved it," she said. "As I got into my major, it was very rewarding. I got to work with children, adults and all different types of people."

Hatfield graduated last May with a master's in communicative disorders at the University of Mississippi. But there was one thing she still wanted to do.

"I always wanted to come back and try Miss Illinois again," she said. "I just really wanted to be Miss Illinois. When I was going through my master's program, there wasn't any time. It wasn't really much of an option."

At 24, Hatfield knew that if she was going to become Miss Illinois, she had one last shot after graduation before her age would disqualify her. That's not enough time to prepare, she said.

"After you've been out of pageants for awhile, it's very difficult to gear yourself back up to it," Sala said.

Hatfield needed to get into mental and physical shape to compete in a very short amount of time.

"I came home the day after I graduated, and we prepared every single day leading up to Miss Illinois," she said.

Thinking the odds were against her more Hatfield more determined to succeed.

"There's also that element of people thinking that a girl from Southern Illinois can't win," she said. "And I don't like that."

After winning, Hatfield said there was a short surreal moment where time stopped, but since then, it's moved at "110 miles an hour."

In the seven months she has been Miss Illinois, Hatfield has appeared all over the state. Even in rehearsing for the Miss America pageant, her coach said it's hard for her to say "no" when asked to be somewhere.

"She's one of the most determined, hard-working people I've ever known," Sala said.

Along with her a hectic schedule as Miss Illinois, Hatfield also had to film the "Miss America Reality Check," a reality television show that added an extra dimension of pressure.

"It was uncomfortable at first because you don't know what's going to happen," she said. "The best part of the experience was getting to know the girls, because we were all in the same boat. Everyone was very supportive of one another.

"I don't know what's going to happen when we get to Miss America," Hatfield said. "I would assume that people will remain that way, and I think that they will. I'm competitive with myself to do my best, and I really don't have time to think about what everybody else is doing."

If Hatfield becomes Miss America, one of the Miss Illinois runners-up will take her crown. If she doesn't win, her schedule is already full. Her goal is to visit every part of the state.

Though her dream would be to pursue a singing career in country music, after it's all said and done, she'd like to settle down in a job close to home.

"It'd be nice to travel 5 to 10 minutes to work," Hatfield said.

brent.stewart@thesouthern.com

351-5074