Latest news with #TheFirstAcademy
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Miss Florida USA 2025 is a UF Gator; five other things to know about Palm Beach resident
The Palm Beach resident who claimed the Miss Florida USA crown in May is no stranger to competing in beauty pageants — or winning them. Lou Schieffelin, 25, a longtime professional model, aspiring pilot and director of marketing for a prominent Palm Beach real estate agent, secured her second crown on the Miss USA circuit on May 25. She previously was the 2018 Miss Florida Teen USA. The title comes one year after Schieffelin finished as second runner-up in the Miss Florida USA pageant. She will represent Florida at the Miss USA 2025 competition this fall, though a date and location have not been set. The Miss USA winner represents the United States at the Miss Universe competition, which will be held in November in Thailand. Here are five things to know about Miss Florida USA 2025 Lou Schieffelin: Schieffelin, who celebrated her 25th birthday June 7, spent her childhood in Greenwich, Connecticut, a city of 63,000 in the southwest corner of the state. She moved to Winter Park as a teenager and attended The First Academy in Orlando, where she played on the school's varsity volleyball team. Schieffelin went on to graduate from the University of Florida. Schieffelin has been a professional model for 16 years, following in her mom Stacey's footsteps. Stacey Schieffelin was a cover, catalog and runway model for more than 20 years, and she was instrumental in getting Lou and her sister, Knox, into modeling at a young age. As a child, Lou Schieffelin appeared on the cover of American Girl magazine, and she went on to work with brands like Ralph Lauren, Max Mara and Oscar de la Renta. Schieffelin said she has stepped away "a bit" from modeling, but she remains grateful for what it has offered her during the past 16 years. "It's been an amazing experience," she said. Schieffelin relocated to Palm Beach a year ago, moving in with a friend. She joined Margit Brandt's real estate office team as a director of marketing and licensed executive assistant, a role she told the Daily News she really enjoys. "She's obviously been very successful on the island," Schieffelin said of Brandt, who is affiliated with Premier Estate Properties. "I feel very honored to even be on the team." Both of Schieffelin's grandfathers were involved in aviation. One was a B-17 fighter pilot in World War II, and the other was a U.S. Army paratrooper. "Planes are kind of in my family, and I'm grateful to be able to continue the legacy," she said. Schieffelin's grandfather, Ed Stetler, operates a general livestock farm in Lakeland, and Schieffelin often visited during her childhood. "I definitely was dirty more than I was clean when I was little," she said. "I grew up in the mud. We were kind of in that southern tradition, like respect and hospitality and good business and handshakes. I'm grateful for my grandfather for raising me and my sister that way." Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@ This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miss Florida USA 2025: Facts on Lou Schieffelin in Palm Beach
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kingston Shaw shuts down recruitment after Illinois official visit
@KingstonShaw15 The New Year has brought positive change in for Kingston Shaw. The Orlando-area native made a verbal commitment to Illinois on January 1 and made the move to uber-talented The First Academy ahead of spring football, where his recruitment would continue. Advertisement Programs like Mississippi State and Michigan State worked to create a dent in the rising-senior's college decision, and each was under consideration for a visit, until Shaw returned to Champaign for his official visit last weekend. "This weekend, along with my family, confirmed I'm 100 percent locked in with Illinois," he said. "The whole family aspect is big, it's one team, one heartbeat, one voice. It's all the same standard. Throughout the recruiting process it's been constant communication, calls, letters, they have not skipped a beat -- they've been there. "They offered in July my sophomore year and they have been consistent ever since." The comfort at Illinois with Shaw and his camp starts at the very top with Bret Bielema. Advertisement "With Coach B, he's been amazing," he said. "Every time I've met with him, sat down and talked to him, me and my parents have had it great. He is definitely someone I see myself playing for in the future with all of his background, getting guys to the NFL, and the standards he has. "On top of that, he renewed his contract, so he'll be there the whole time I will be." CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Rivals Five-Star heading back to Indy | Rivals Five-Star roster | Schedule/info The early identification from the Illini staff and Shaw's commitment just as his profile was rising helped to build a lead the program would not relinquish for the Floridian. Advertisement The program's emphasis in the Sunshine State, where six commitments in the top-10 class reside, also created a layer of comfort and communication for the defender. "We're all super close, I talk to them on a daily basis," Shaw said. "Most of us were up there together for the visit and it was great camaraderie, brotherhood. Illinois recruits a specific type of kid and family, so it's a great locker room environment, like we've been together for years. "Nothing compares to Illinois. I didn't really want to put anything in jeopardy with what I have or with what we're building." From assistant coaches to the current roster, it seems like each aspect of the personnel in Champaign helped to check a box ahead of Shaw shutting it down. Advertisement "From the moment I stepped on campus, the players embraced me right off the bat," he said. "They love me. I stay in contact with the players, too. It's not like it is at some schools where players are already there and feel like they're above you and don't include you in things. With these guys, they act like you're one of the brothers and you're accepted into the environment." The First Academy just announced a national schedule, beginning with IMG Academy on August 14, and that is where the Illinois commitment will turn his attention the remainder of the offseason. "It's a relief," Shaw said. "It allows me to focus and lock in on my senior season and not have to worry about choosing between these different schools and staying up with all these coaches. "Now I can lock in and be the best me I can be until January, when I get up there."
USA Today
14-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Florida 3-star DL Alex Willis to visit Michigan State this weekend
Florida 3-star DL Alex Willis to visit Michigan State this weekend Alex Willis of Orlando announced he'll be visiting Michigan State this upcoming weekend Michigan State football will be hosting a three-star defensive lineman from Florida this upcoming weekend. Alex Willis of Orlando announced on Monday that he plans to visit Michigan State this upcoming weekend. Willis posted about his upcoming unofficial visit to Michigan State on his social media X account. Willis is a three-star defensive lineman prospect in the 2026 class. He plays for The First Academy and holds a 247Sports rating of 86. Willis ranks as the No. 83 defensive lineman nationally in 247Sports' composite rankings. He is also listed as the No. 881 overall prospect in the class. Michigan State extended Willis a scholarship in late January, and has been pushing for him to visit ever since. According to 247Sports, he holds other notable scholarship offers from NC State, UCF, Boston College, Iowa State, Kansas State, Liberty, Minnesota, Ole Miss, Pitt, Tulane, USF, Wake Forest and West Virginia. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
