Engineering student is Apple Festival queen

A freshman engineering student at SIUC brought home the honors from a local community celebration recently when she was named queen of the 2007 Murphysboro Apple Festival.

Engineering royalty - Laura Falat, a mechanical engineering major from Murphysboro, won the title during the annual Murphysboro Apple Festival pageant, held Sept. 15.

Laura Falat, a mechanical engineering major from Murphysboro, won the title during the annual pageant, held Sept. 15, during the long-running festival. She is the daughter of Steve and Jolene Falat.

Laura Falat, 18, said it was the first pageant she's entered and did so to quench the competitive rush she used to get from playing sports in high school.

"It was a very pleasant surprise to win on my first try," she said. "I was very involved in sports throughout high school and now that I am in college I thought it would be fun to do something completely different. So I decided to enter for the friendly competition that I've been missing since high school. And also it is a chance for me to give back to the community of Murphysboro, since that is where I grew up."

One of 19 SIUC Presidential Scholars selected at the beginning of the school year, Falat focuses on her studies as well. The Presidential Scholarships cover tuition, fees, room and board for four years at SIUC, renewable each year with a 3.0 grade point average. Applicants must have a minimum ACT score of 29 or SAT score of 1300 and rank in the top 10 percent of their class. They also must demonstrate a willingness to lead. The scholarship is worth almost $17,000 for the 2007-08 school year at SIUC.

Her queen title adds another $2,000 to the scholarship total, along with a suitcase of hair products, a formal queen photo portrait and jewelry. Her duties as queen include representing the community and the festival at public appearances and special events.

At Murphysboro High School, Falat was an Illinois State Scholar, a member of the National Honor Society and the Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering team. She also participated in the high school's softball, volleyball, golf and track teams and was named to the John A. Logan College Top Six Juniors list and served as an election judge.

Despite her many accomplishments, Falat said she is shocked at her most recent.

"I'm still kind of in shock about the whole thing," she said. "It is still sinking in that I won a pageant and now I have a crown I get to wear.

"What girl doesn't want a crown?" she said, laughing.

In the meantime, Falat said she is soaking up her freshman year at SIUC, a place that is very special to her.

- Tim Crosby