Who is Addie Carver? All about the Miss Teen USA 2024 winner hailing from Mississippi

On August 1, Addie Carver was crowned as the Miss Teen USA 2024 at the pageant final held in Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater. She was previously crowned as the Miss Mississippi Teen USA in April.

In the wake of her victory, Carver shared that as the next Miss Teen USA her “mission” would be to promote mental health care initiatives and make “every little girl who was like me once” realize that they are “never alone.”

During the Final Look Walk of the top 5, she also stated that she would use the “experience” to change her own life as well as others, adding that her goal was to show “everyone that no matter what challenges you may face in your life, the sky is never the limit — it’s just the starting point.”

Addie Carver won the Miss Teen USA pageant, beating 50 other contestants from the USA and the District of Columbia. The finalists included first runner-up Ava Colindres of Georgia and second runner-up Rachel McLaen of Arizona, with Townsend Blackwell of Tennessee and Olivia Travis of West Virginia also in the top five.

Carver's win comes two months after former Miss Teen USA 2023, UmaSofia Srivastava, resigned in May, stating on Instagram that her "personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization."

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Everything you need to know about Addie Carver, the new Miss Teen USA

Miss Teen USA 2024 Addie Carver is a 17-year-old native of Brookhaven, Mississippi. According to her bio on the Miss Mississippi USA website, Carver is a junior at Lawrence County High School and among the top 10 rankers of her batch. She is also a varsity cheerleader at her school and has served as the All-American cheerleader as well as a member of the UCA Summer Camp staff.

When Addie Carver lost her father Chuck Carver to cancer at the age of 13, she found her “safe space” in dancing. She has been training in several dance forms at the local Showstoppers Studio of Dance for over 14 years and is a student staff teacher who empowers kids aged between 3 and 16.

Additionally, her flair for dancing led to her launching her own non-profit Dance to Empower. She is both “excited” and “committed” to growing the organization and “impacting” the lives of others through it.

“She hopes to inspire others to find their passions to help them cope with all of life’s challenges,” the bio read.

Addie Carver is the vice president of the Beta Club Chapter and an active member of organizations such as HOSA, National Technical Honor Society, and Student Council.

Apart from dancing, she enjoys modeling at Mia Bella Prom, traveling, volunteering in the community, taking part in service projects, and spending quality time with friends and family.

Following her win at the Miss Mississippi Teen USA earlier this year, she took to her Instagram and wrote that “after countless of years of hearing ‘No,’” she finally got the ‘Yes’ she had been “dreaming” of.

"My journey to this moment has been long, but it’s been so incredibly worth it! There are no words to describe how much achieving this goal means to me, but more than anything, I am grateful…” she wrote at the time.

Back then, Addie Carver added how she was “ready” to “serve” her state and represent it at the Miss Teen USA national stage, calling it the “biggest honor” of her life and thanking everyone responsible for the “opportunity.

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The 42nd Miss Teen USA which was held in LA on Thursday night was hosted by Rachel Lindsay and Justin Sylvester. Actress Francia Raisa, dancer Rylee Arnold, social media influencer Alyssa Carson, Miss Teen USA 2019 Kaleigh Garris, and Miss World 2022 Shree Saini were among the judges. Miss USA 2024 is also scheduled to happen later this week on August 4.