Baylen Clay Salyers of Smithfield, N.C., was crowned Miss Zebulon’s Teen 2027 on Oct. 17, 2026, at Bunn High School in Bunn.
Salyers takes the title with a community service initiative built around a single object. Bumblebee Backpacks fills new backpacks with necessities — toiletries, socks and clothing — alongside comforting items such as blankets, stuffed animals and toys, for children entering foster care. She has delivered 12 fully stocked backpacks to Isaiah 117 House and raised more than $1,000 for additional supplies, with support from local businesses.
“Foster care became personal when one of my dance teachers fostered and later adopted three children, and volunteering with Isaiah 117 House showed me how I could contribute,” Salyers said. “I created Bumblebee Backpacks: Bee-lieving in Brighter Beginnings because a trash bag should never be a child’s suitcase.”
Salyers is a homeschooled high school junior, dual-enrolled at Johnston Community College through the Career & College Promise program, where she is maintaining a 4.0 GPA. She plans to attend Appalachian State University and to work as an occupational therapist in rehabilitation. She has spent ten years as a competitive dancer and now helps teach younger dancers, and in the talent category she performed a tap dance to Lady Gaga’s “Disco Heaven”. She is also the author and illustrator of The Bowwinkle, and she collects and restores American Girl dolls.
“A friend invited me to help with an Easter egg hunt through Isaiah 117 House, and that invitation became a turning point for me,” Salyers said. “I couldn’t change the circumstances that brought a child there, but I could help them feel cared for when they arrived.”
This is her first title in the Miss America Opportunity. Salyers traces openings like that one to what she calls Godwinks. “I believe in ‘Godwinks’: the people and experiences God places in our lives that help us recognize where we can make a difference,” she said. “For me, those moments led to Bumblebee Backpacks and a goal of helping children entering foster care across all 100 North Carolina counties.” She has invited supporters to take part by donating supplies, sponsoring a backpack or hosting a collection drive.
Salyers will represent Zebulon at the Miss North Carolina’s Teen competition in High Point in June 2027.
Salyers can be followed on Instagram at @misszebulonsteen_nc.
