One of my favourite sections of the site (even if I’ve never settled on the perfect name for it!), a look at all the Miss North Carolina Teen USA titleholders who’ve gone on to compete at Miss USA or in other state pageants. It’s always inspiring to see where their journeys have taken them — whether they won a crown early on, competed once or twice and then hung up the heels or kept showing up year after year, showing persistence in their quest to walk the Miss USA stage.
North Carolina has one of the highest rates of returning Miss Teen USA titleholders, with every winner from 1996-2004 returning to compete, as well as seven of nine titleholders from 2013-2021. Six have gone on to compete at Miss USA, the most famous being North Carolina’s first former Teen to win Miss North Carolina USA; Miss USA 2005 Chelsea Cooley. Three Miss Teen USA second runners-up – Katie Coble, Julia Dalton and Jane Axhoj – have all won Miss North Carolina USA, but none made the cut at Miss USA. Most recently, Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2017 Kenzie Hansley won the Miss North Carolina USA 2024 title and made the top 20 at Miss USA 2024.
Winner
1
Chelsea Cooley (2000)
* Where the semi-finalists are cut in multiple stages before the top 5 or 6
2005
1
Chelsea Cooley (2000)
2007
1
Erin O’Kelley (2001)
States competed in: North Carolina, Alabama, South Carolina
