Calista Nicole Deal was crowned Miss Sandhills 2027 on Sept. 26 at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst.
Deal, a 24-year-old small business owner from Pembroke, N.C., took the title with a Community Service Initiative she calls H.O.M.E. – Helping Others Make It Everyday, which she says grew out of her own understanding of what it means to need a place where you feel safe, seen and supported. Through a partnership with the Robeson County Rape Crisis Center, the initiative has become weekly seminars, one-on-one work with young people, and creative activities she builds around confidence and community.
“H.O.M.E. focuses on breaking the stigma surrounding mental health by creating spaces where young people can talk openly, build connections, and learn that asking for help is a sign of courage, not weakness,” Deal said.
The weekly sessions run under the name “Mental Health Is Wealth,” and they sit alongside clothing design, fashion shows and karaoke competitions that Deal uses to let young people build confidence while building community. She is the owner and creative director of Calista Nicole Hair and Makeup Artistry, and rather than a traditional degree she describes an education that continues through entrepreneurship, leadership and the beauty industry, with the goal of growing the business into a national beauty and education brand. She is also a singer who has performed for more than seven Native tribes across America, and she competed at Sandhills with “My Man,” the ballad from Funny Girl.
Her work with the crisis center puts her face to face with teenagers every week, and Deal says those hours changed what she believes she has to offer them.
“One moment that has stayed with me was realizing that, sometimes, the most powerful thing I can give someone isn’t an answer, it’s a safe place to be heard,” she said. “They don’t need someone to fix their story, they need someone willing to sit beside them while they write the next chapter.”
Deal’s own path in the Miss America Opportunity started in 2018, when she was named Miss Greater Sandhills Outstanding Teen.
“I’m not pursuing this opportunity simply because I love the stage, I’m pursuing it because I know what this organization has already done in my life, and I know what I want to give back,” Deal said. “I’m coming into this chapter with more life experience, more purpose, and a clearer understanding of the woman I want to be.” “I’m ready to take everything I’ve learned, everything I’ve overcome, and everything I believe in and use it to help someone else believe in themselves.”
Deal will represent Sandhills at the Miss North Carolina competition in High Point in June 2027.
Deal can be followed on Instagram at @misssandhills_nc.
