METROPOLIS, Ill. — Metropolis native and SIU graduate Yolina Lindquist has less than 10 days to go before leaving for Vietnam to represent the United States of America in an international pageant.
Yolina Lindquist holds the key to the City of Metropolis.
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Miss Cosmo is the first international beauty pageant organization, according to its website. Founded by Unimedia, the organization seeks individuals who have “great ambitions to transform the world” by “daring to speak and act.”
“The whole mission of the Miss Cosmo organization is to be an impactful beauty, to lead with purpose and heart and to just be more than yourself,” Lindquist said.
Crowned the national title just a month ago in El Paso, Texas, Lindquist is nervous but excited to take the international stage.
Pictured is the cake at Lindquist’s send-off party.
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“It’s been a very quick turnaround to prepare myself to compete at the international level. But I have an amazing team behind me… and I’m just ready to put in all the hard work and see it show forth,” she said.
Lindquist’s platform “courage over cancer” raises awareness and funds for cancer care and research.
“My family has been deeply touched by cancer,” she said. “I write cards to hospitals — try to just do what I can.”
Lindquist, 21, graduated from SIU in May 2025. She said she’s proud of where she came from and hopes to make Southern Illinois proud of her too.
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She arrives Nov. 26 to visit sponsors and take in the “good food, the sites, the language and the culture that is in Vietnam.”
Competitions for evening gown, swimsuit and interviews start on Dec. 16, and finals are on Dec. 20.
Lindquist thanks her family, boyfriend, friends, coaches and sponsors.
“I’m so grateful to everyone that has believed in my dreams and believed that I could be bigger than who I thought I was,” she said.
To young girls with big dreams, Lindquist has a clear message.
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“The sky’s the limit. I am a small town girl just like you. It’s not about money or the resources,” she said. “If you put your mind to it, and if you put in the work, anything’s possible.”