Chicago Woman Crowned Miss Illinois

(CBS) -- Miss Chicago has won the crown of Miss Illinois.

WBBM's Kimberly Easton reports you can't tell by her singing voice, but Marisa Buchheit, the new Miss Illinois, is painfully shy.

"From the beginning I was a more naturally shy person and sometimes come across as not as warm as some of the other contestants. That is something that I have been working on for years now," said Buchheit.

The 24-year old aspiring opera singer, selected from a group of 31 contestants, says this was her last shot at the state title and she had to break out of her shell to win the crown.

"It has been a dream for years since I was a little girl to go to Miss America," she said.

Buchheit will compete at the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey in September.