When competing for the title of Champaign County Fair Queen, Ainsley Reiser had to answer an impromptu question. “If you could trade lives with any person, who would it be?”

Her answer was Barack Obama, a decision Reiser said was risky because “two things you never bring up at these events are religion and politics.”

But it was what she said right after which made the audience laugh: “Because I like to be in control.”

Showing confidence and control is what gets the 18-year-old Champaign resident through her life, and that’s what helped her win the title of 2010 Champaign County Fair Queen.

The talents guided her through the different aspects of the competition; the interview process, swimsuit and formal wear section and speech.

“I wasn’t nervous at all because I am a confident person. You are up there by yourself and you have to exude your confidence. That’s what this pageant is about and who has that confidence,” Reiser said. “I knew that I was putting myself out there and the people had no choice but to watch me, so I had to enjoy all of that attention.”

Reiser had not completely planned on competing for the title of queen.

Her mother, Kay Reiser, a county fair queen in her hometown 31 years ago, encouraged Reiser to compete after she saw the application packet her daughter received from her guidance counselor at the High School of Saint Thomas More.

“I knew that Ainsley would really pick up a lot from this experience,” Kay said. “She is just a person who really likes to talk to people and is confident in herself which makes her ready for this.”

Reiser appreciated the opportunity to show people who she was. A recent graduate from high school who will start at the University in the fall, she knows many things are uncertain for her.

“I’m only 18-years-old and I’m not sure exactly what I want to do with my life,” Reiser said. “But I know that I have plenty of time to figure that out and I am proud of where I am right now.”

She was happy to be able to share her values to the different people watching the pageant, specifically her interest in service. During her speech section, she talked about a man who she met during a mission trip this summer in Honduras, a man named Antonio who had to leave his family in Texas because he had no birth certificate. She told his story to demonstrate how blessed people are in America.

“This is something I am very passionate about, I want people to see how lucky they are and how different life is for different people,” Reiser said.

During her time as queen, Reiser will represent the city of Champaign for a year at different events, specifically the Champaign County Fair. She will also compete for the title of Illinois State Fair Queen in January.

She will work closely with the pageant director, Melanie Deem, to represent the county.

“I am excited to get to know Ainsley better throughout the year and help ready her for this experience,” Deem said.

Reiser thinks the experience as queen will possibly help her become more interested in agriculture, because although she never grew up on the farm, all her family members are different majors in the college of ACES.

“This could be a point of change for her,” Kay said. “During this experience, she could realize what she wants to do with her life.”