Nineteen contestants competed for the title of Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen last weekend and after two rounds of preliminary competitions and a re-competition of the top 10, Miss Pine Belt Cameron Davis was crowned the 2022 Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen, Sunday afternoon at the City of Vicksburg Auditorium.

“When I heard my name called, I was completely shocked,” Davis said. “All I could think about was how thankful I was to have experienced this weekend with such an amazing group of girls and how honored I was to be chosen to represent Mississippi.”

Davis, who is a student at Lamar High School, was awarded $5,000 in scholarships — $3,500 provided by the Miss Mississippi Corporation and $1,500 provided by the Miss Mississippi Local Pageant Directors Association, said winning the title has meant everything to her.

“Growing up, I always loved watching the Miss Mississippi Competition and after attending a live production, I realized that this was something I wanted to be a part of as well,” she said. “Seeing that the competition gave candidates a platform to advocate for something they were passionate about and their confidence on stage inspired me.”

So much so, that at the age of 13, Davis competed in her first Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen Preliminary Competition.

“Since then, I have loved being in this program and hope to inspire young girls just like the Miss Mississippi Organization has inspired me,” she said.

While Davis will continue to promote her Social Impact Initiative, Building Community Through Giving, by providing teens with volunteer opportunities, the Meridian native is also preparing for the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Competition, which will be held this summer.

“I will be keeping up with current events, working on my talent and living a healthy lifestyle,” she said.

Miss Deep South Madison McCarter was named the first alternate to MMOT and was awarded $2,000 in scholarships provided by the Miss Mississippi Corporation. The second alternate was Miss Leaf River Valley Karly Henderson. She was awarded $1,200 in scholarships. The third alternate was Miss Jones County Grace Travis, who was awarded $900 and the fourth alternate Miss Delta Brook Bumgarner was awarded $600.

Rounding out the top 10 and receiving a $400 scholarship each were Miss Barnes Crossing Sara Peyton Edwards, Miss Delta Crossroads Nataleigh Nix, Miss Lee County D’Ambrah Watts, Miss Red Hills Gracie Weeden and Miss Riverbend Anna Kate Ratcliffe.