Addie Carver is ready to make her mark as Miss Teen USA 2024.
A day after being crowned, the Mississippi native opens up to PEOPLE about what she’s looking forward to in her new journey.
“It’s not an easy job, but I had been mentally preparing myself for this role, not just since I was crowned back in April, but for the two years before that, that it took me to win my state title,” she says. “I’m just so excited to get to work closely with this organization.”
Although it has been just a few hours since Carver received her new title, she notes that the organization’s staff has been “incredibly nice and welcoming,” which makes her “excited to hit the ground running with all of our plans.”
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Her new role as Miss Teen USA is something she hopes inspires “every little girl” to reach their dreams.
“You can do anything that you put your mind to. You can be Miss Teen USA. I never would’ve imagined in a million years I would be in this role, but it’s all because I never gave up,” she says.
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Carver adds that she’s ready to fully embrace the “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” while staying true to herself.
“I’m a regular teenage girl who happens to also be Miss Teen USA. I’m going to get to enjoy normal girl things, which is honestly what it’s all about,” says Carver.
“I think Miss Teen USA has got to be somebody that other people can see themselves in,” she adds. “I’m going to have the best time throughout my senior year but also get to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Carver, 17, is a native of Brookhaven, Miss. According to her Miss Mississippi USA bio, after her father died when she was 13, she found a “safe space” in dancing and she hopes to inspire others to find passions that can help them cope with life’s challenges. She is also a varsity cheerleader.
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Carver tells PEOPLE that dancing has always been her passion since childhood and described dancing as the “biggest blessing ever.”
“I can truly say that it saved my entire life, which is the exact reason why I started Dance to Empower,” Carver says, referring to the organization she founded. “And when I was crowned in April, Miss Mississippi Teen USA, I really wanted to grow that. So I started doing dancing through the decade presentations where I visit summer camps, retirement homes, elementary classrooms, and even community centers for adults with Down syndrome.”
“Getting to elevate all of that on a national level as Miss Teen USA is just going to be so exciting and I cannot wait to make an impact on people all across our country,” Carver says.
Carver’s coronation on Aug. 1 comes almost three months after her predecessor, former Miss Teen USA 2023 UmaSofia Srivastava, gave up her title, explaining at the time that her “personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.”
Srivastava’s decision to step down, which was announced via Instagram on May 8, followed just two days after Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt announced her own resignation.
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Stephanie Skinner, the 2023 Miss New York Teen USA and the first runner-up in last year’s Miss Teen USA pageant, was offered an opportunity to replace Srivastava after the surprise resignation but opted not to do so.
