North Myrtle Beach woman prepares for Ms. Senior America pageant

“She’s fun to talk to and bright,” Ross-Karl said. “You know, she knows just the proper thing to say and we honestly thought that she would win the national title, and she may do just that. She’s that qualified.”

After a triumphant return to the stage, Sherill began to refine her pageant skills and rediscover a dormant passion.

“I traveled around and really enjoyed it, supported my philanthropies and had a wonderful experience,” she said. “And so then [my friend] says, ‘Well, you were originally going to compete in the Senior America Pageant.’ I thought, well, this is another opportunity to have a do-over for what I did when I was in college some 40 years ago.”

Now, after winning the Ms. South Carolina Senior America 2022 pageant earlier this year and qualifying for nationals, Sherrill is working hard to develop and improve herself to prove she exemplifies “the dignity, maturity and inner beauty” that represents Ms. Senior America, according to the pageant’s mission statement.

“I’m spending a lot of time developing my talent and getting that element ready for the stage, getting my music arrangement completed and honing my vocal skills,” Sherrills said. “Also working through my community service and philanthropies and making [sure] I have a good sense of purpose, as well as being able to share my crown and sash as a platform for the charities I’m interested in.”

For the talent portion, Sherrill plans to perform a rendition of “Corner of the Sky” from the 1972 Broadway play “Pippin,” a musical about a son of a great French king who leaves home to find his true purpose. Above all else, she said she wants to show the judges the best, authentic version of herself.

“[I’m] making sure that when I walk on stage, I’m presenting my true, authentic self, and not some contrived stereotype or norm that other people think you might have. I am who I am,” Sherrill said. “There’s no crystal ball to tell you what the results are gonna be. But as long as you walk away, and you feel like you’ve made yourself a better person, and you’ve fulfilled some self improvement goals, or whatever you’ve envisioned for yourself, then that’s what’s really important. That’s what pageant competitions should do for any person, regardless of the age whether it’s the little girls or seniors like myself.”