Locals compete in Miss North Carolina competition

Stanly County teen took home several awards at the state competition

Photo by NSJ Staff

HIGH POINT — Miss North Carolina was crowned in High Point Saturday along with Miss North Carolina’s Outstanding Teen. Karolyn Martin, of Boone, will represent North Carolina at Miss America, and Kerrigan Brown, of Spivey’s Corner, will compete for the title of Miss America’s Outstanding Teen. 

The Miss America competition, traditionally held in Atlantic City, will be held at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut for the third year in a row. The teen competition will be held in Dallas.  

The Miss North Carolina competition featured 57 candidates from across North Carolina in the Miss and Teen categories. The 11 finalists in the Miss North Carolina competition were awarded $66,000 in scholarships, and High Point University offered each of the 57 candidates a $1,000 scholarship to attend the university. Finalists could receive up to $10,000 per year in scholarships from High Point if they met certain GPA and testing thresholds. 

Carli Batson of Wilmington completed her year as Miss North Carolina and passed the crown to Martin Saturday. Batson is a recent graduate of Appalachian State University, where she was captain of the dance team. She is returning to her hometown of Wilmington after completing her reign as Miss North Carolina. 

“It has been my greatest pleasure and largest honor to serve,” said Batson in a statement. “This year has been my largest year of growth, and none of that would have been possible without the unending, boundless support of my team and village that have guided me every step of the way.” 

Harley Tilque, the outgoing teen, will attend the University of Alabama in the fall, where she has earned a spot on the dance team. 

Several local candidates were part of the competition. Miss Stanly County’s Outstanding Teen, Annika Schneider, 17, of Stanfield, was in the Top 11 and earned the People’s Choice Award and the Scholastic Achievement Award during the competition. The Gray Stone Day School student performed a jazz dance routine to “Woman Up” in the talent competition.  

Miss Stanly County, Kate White, 21, of New London, sang “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” in the talent competition and advocated for participation in the arts as her social platform. Her career ambition is to perform on Broadway.  

Tiffany Smith, 25, of Albemarle, was Miss Blue Ridge Valley and sang “Cry Me A River” in the talent competition. The Pfeiffer graduate plans a career as a teacher.  

Andersen Raines, 22, of Midland, was Miss Mount Holly. In the talent competition, Raines performed a monologue titled “No Release” by Tara Meddaugh. She is pursuing a career as an event planner. 

Karie Grace Shields, 23, of Albemarle, was Miss Queen City. The Pfeiffer graduate sang “Happy Days Are Here Again” in the talent competition and plans a career in healthcare.