Henderson, Davis win preliminary titles in Miss Mississippi Outstanding Teen Competition

Published 10:48 am Sunday, April 24, 2022

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2021 Miss Mississippi's Outstanding Teen Tori Johnston, center, poses with second-round preliminary winners Cameron Davis and Karly Henderson. (Photo by Terri Cowart Frazier)

Booth Buys, center left, performs at the 2022 MMOT second preliminary round with 2021 Miss Mississippi's Outstanding Teen Tori Johnston, center in light pink. (Photo by Terri Cowart Frazier)

2021 MMOT Tori Johnston performs Saturday night with 2021 Miss Mississippi Holly Brand. (Photo by Terri Cowart Frazier)

The second and final round of the Miss Mississippi Outstanding Teen preliminary competitions came to a close Saturday night with veterans once again winning.

Vicksburg resident Miss Leaf River Valley Karly Henderson won the evening wear/onstage question phase of the competition and Miss Pine Belt Cameron Davis won talent.

Henderson, who is competing in the competition for the second time, wore a pink gown.

“I found my gown at Elegant Evenings in Laurel. My mom texted the owner to see if she had any pink big ballgowns,” Henderson said.

Upon arriving at the boutique, Henderson said, the gown she wore in Saturday night’s competition was the first gown she tried on.

“When I put it on, I fell in love with it and said, ‘This is my dress,’” she said.

With dark eyes and dark hair, the St. Aloysius High School senior said pink is her signature color.

“I am obsessed with pink,” she said, adding she had worn a pink gown in last year’s competition.

Davis, who is from Meridian and has been dancing since she was 3 years old, performed a jazz routine to “My Strongest Suit” from the Broadway musical “Aida.”

Davis said she chose to perform to this song after she had been inspired by a former Miss Mississippi contestant.

“Ever since I was little, I always loved watching Lexie Harper, who was a Miss (contestant), dance to this song,” Davis said. “She did it for DYW (the Distinguished Young Women program — formerly America’s Junior Miss) and she did it for the Miss Mississippi (competition).”

Davis said the song gave her “goosebumps” whenever she listened to it.

“I just burst out with joy because it makes me so happy,” she said. “And I was like, ‘I’m going to dance to it.’”

Last year, during the competition, Davis was named the first alternate to MMOT Tori Johnson.

The MMOT Competition continues Sunday. The top 10 contestants will be named at the beginning of the event, and they will re-compete in all phases of the stage competition. One competitor will then be crowned the 2022 MMOT.

Sunday’s competition will begin at 3 p.m. at the Vicksburg City Auditorium. Tickets are $40 and are available at the door. For more information, call 601-638-6746.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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