TAKING THE CROWN: Miss Capital City Anna Leah Jolly wins Miss Mississippi 2025

Published 10:23 pm Saturday, June 14, 2025

: Photo by Chris Todd

Miss Capital City Anna Leah Jolly was crowned Miss Mississippi Saturday at the Vicksburg Convention Center following the final night of competition.

“It was truly surreal, I did not expect it at all,” she said.”I know I made top five last year, but it was so unexpected because it was just my second year.”

This year the Miss Mississippi Competition had 33 contestants vying for the title of Miss Mississippi.

This is Jolly’s second time competing in the Miss Mississippi Competition. Last year, she was the fourth alternate to Miss Mississippi 2024 Becky Williams.

During the competition, Jolly performed a Ballet en Pointe for the talent portion of the night. For the evening gown phase, she wore a white and silver embellished one shoulder gown.

As Miss Mississippi, Jolly will have the opportunity to promote her Community Service Initiative, which is titled Limitless and focuses on challenging kids to “dream big, love deeply and believe that their story can be truly limitless.”

As Miss Mississippi, Jolly receives a $10,000 scholarship provided by Ergon and a $2,000 scholarship provided by the Miss Mississippi Corporation.

The first alternate to Miss Mississippi was Miss Hattiesburg Jane Granberry. Granberry receives a $4,000 scholarship provided by David and Katherine McRae and a $4,000 scholarship provided by Chris and Jennie Simmons.

Second alternate, Miss Vicksburg Morgan Nelson, receives a $6,000 scholarship provided by Casey and Rachel Ellis.

Third alternate, Miss University McKenzie Cox, receives a $3,500 scholarship provided by Rusty’s Riverfront Grill and a $500 scholarship provided by the Miss Mississippi Corporation.

Miss Metro Jackson Gracie Bassett is the fourth alternate to Miss Mississippi and receives a $2,500 scholarship provided by Mutual Credit Union and a $500 scholarship provided by the Miss Mississippi Corporation.

The semi-finalists are: Miss Starkville Karolina Heathcock; Miss New South Madison Delancey; Miss Tupelo Madison Belk; Miss Domain at Oxford Alexa Manning; Miss Jones County Katelyn Perry and Miss All-America City Jaycee Dre Janzen. Each semi-finalist received a $2,000 scholarship provided by the Miss Mississippi Corporation.

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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