Miss North Carolina Organization

Miss North Carolina 2009

Katherine Elizabeth Southard, a UNC Charlotte graduate student, was recently crowned Miss North Carolina 2009. Katherine is a 2007 Magna Cum Laude Elon University graduate. While at Elon, Katherine was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority and a leadership fellow. Katherine was also inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma and Gamma Sigma Alpha, both honor fraternities. Upon graduation, she obtained her real estate license in NC and SC.

Last year, Katherine, a long-time sufferer of scoliosis, competed in the Miss North Carolina Pageant promoting her platform, Scoliosis: Ahead of the Curve. She was named 2nd runner-up and received the Miracle Maker Award. This year she was named a talent preliminary winner and was awarded the title of Miss North Carolina 2009. Katherine will go on to compete in the 2010 Miss America pageant on January 30, 2010 in Las Vegas.

Congratulations Katherine Puryear - 3rd Runner-up at the Miss America Oustanding Teen Pageant

Orlando, FL - August 15, 2009 - Miss North Carolina's Outstanding Teen, Katherine Puryear, was a finalist in Miss America's Outstanding Teen competition and came home as the third runner-up.

Miss Wisconsin's Outstanding Teen, Jeanette Morelan walked the runway as the fifth Miss America's Outstanding Teen on Saturday night in the Linda Chapin Theater at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. This historic crowning moment marked her first steps on a journey that will take her across the country promoting scholastic achievement, creative accomplishment, community involvement and healthy living for our nation's youth.

She will support the National Platform of the Miss America Organization, the Children's Miracle Network. In addition, she will also continue to work on her own personal platform "The Power of One." More ...