Ella Grace White of Pink Hill, N.C., was crowned Miss Thomasville’s Teen 2027 on Oct. 3, 2026, at the T. Austin Finch Auditorium in Thomasville.
White takes the title with a community service initiative aimed at the sport she grew up in. Project Élevé raises money for dance scholarships, recognizes dancers through a Dancer of the Month program, and shares resources meant to help them beyond the studio. This year she awarded its first scholarship to a dancer pursuing higher education and presented it to her in person.
“Project Élevé was inspired by my own experience growing up in dance and seeing how much time, training, and dedication dancers put into their sport without always receiving the same recognition or resources as other athletes,” White said. “As Project Élevé grows, I want to keep finding practical ways to support dancers and make sure their hard work is seen.”
She surprised that first recipient at her school’s awards banquet, walking out with the award and the scholarship check before the dancer knew she had been chosen. “Seeing her reaction was probably just as exciting for me as it was for her,” White said.
White is a freshman at South Lenoir High School, and through dual enrollment she expects to graduate with both her high school diploma and an associate degree. She plans to pursue a BFA in Dance and to become a dance teacher and studio owner, and she has already begun teaching her own classes. In the talent category she performs a lyrical jazz dance to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” the Frankie Valli song that was the favorite of her late grandmother, Grandma Cookie.
Family, White says, is a large part of her life. She is the middle child and the only girl, with an older brother in his senior year of college and a younger brother who has just started kindergarten, putting the three of them at completely different stages of life. “Our family is a pretty constant mix of chaos and fun, but somehow it works for us,” she said.
White will represent Thomasville at the Miss North Carolina’s Teen competition in High Point in June 2027.
White can be followed on Instagram at @missthomasvillesteen_nc.
