Shelby County native to compete in Miss America's Teen this week

IN THE 2025 MISS AMERICA COMPETITION BEGINS THIS WEEK. VERY EXCITING. AND TWO YOUNG LADIES FROM CENTRAL ALABAMA ARE HOPING TO WALK AWAY WITH THE TITLES OF MISS AMERICA AND MISS AMERICA’S TEEN. WE HAVE OUR WVTM13’S EMMA OWEN, JOINING US LIVE HERE IN STUDIO. EMMA, YOU SPOKE WITH THE TITLEHOLDERS BEFORE THEIR TRIP TO ORLANDO. HOW ARE THEY FEELING AHEAD OF THIS COMPETITION? WELL, ALLIE MIMS, MISS ALABAMA’S TEEN, AND ABBY STOCKARD, MISS ALABAMA. THEY SAY THEY’RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS WEEK. BOTH HAVE ALREADY HAD THEIR ONE ON ONE INTERVIEWS WITH THE JUDGES, AND THEY’LL NOW HIT THE STAGE WITH TEEN PRELIMINARIES STARTING TOMORROW. SINCE BEING CROWNED MISS ALABAMA’S TEEN IN MARCH, SHELBY COUNTY NATIVE ALLIE MIMS HAS BEEN BUSY BALANCING ALL THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF A HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PREPARING FOR COMPETITION, AND WORKING TO MAKE MUSIC MORE ACCESSIBLE TO STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. THIS, THROUGH HER COMMUNITY SERVICE INITIATIVE. IT IS AN OFFICIAL 500 AND 1C3 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION CALLED THE JOYFUL NOISE FOUNDATION, AND I HAVE PERSONALLY RAISED OVER $130,000 FOR THE JOYFUL NOISE FOUNDATION, AND I HAVE INSTRUMENT BOXES THAT TEACHERS CAN APPLY FOR WHERE I WILL PROVIDE INSTRUMENTS, AND A BOOK I WROTE ON AMAZON CALLED MAKE MUSIC WITH JOY. I ALSO HAVE A COLORING BOOK ON AMAZON, AND I PUT THESE BOTH IN THE BOX, AND TEACHERS CAN APPLY FOR THESE BOXES AND I WILL SEND THEM TO THEIR CLASSROOM. NOW, EACH CONTESTANT IN MISS AMERICA’S TEEN HAS A COMMUNITY SERVICE INITIATIVE, AND DURING THE COMPETITION, THEY’LL HAVE SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE THEIR PROJECTS WITH THE JUDGES. MIMS ALREADY COMPLETED HER PRIVATE INTERVIEW. HER FAVORITE PORTION OF THE COMPETITION, AND WILL SHARE MORE ABOUT JOYFUL NOISE ON STAGE. SHE’LL ALSO COMPETE IN FITNESS, EVENING GOWN AND TALENT. THE ITALIAN OPERA SINGER PERFORMING ON A NATIONAL STAGE AFTER OVERCOMING SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES. WHEN I WAS NINE YEARS OLD, I HAD AN ACCIDENT THAT BROKE MY BREASTBONE. IT WAS PRETTY DETRIMENTAL, BUT IT WAS SOMETHING THAT I WAS ABLE TO COME BACK FROM. AND IT’S KIND OF HOW I DEFINE MY SUCCESS IS LEARNING TO COME BACK FROM THOSE THINGS. I’VE BEEN AN OPERA SINGER SINCE I WAS EIGHT YEARS OLD, AND FUN FACT THERE ARE ONLY SEVEN SINGERS AT THE COMPETITION. IN JANUARY, AND OUT OF THESE SEVEN SINGERS, I’M THE ONLY OPERA SINGER. SO I THINK IT’S REALLY COOL THAT I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIGHT SOME OF THESE BATTLES AND THEN COME BACK AND BE THE ONLY OPERA SINGER. AS MIMS BRINGS THIS RESILIENCE TO THE MISS AMERICA’S TEEN STAGE, SHE REFLECTS ON HER YEARS OF COMPETING AT THE STATE LEVEL. THIS IS MY THIRD YEAR COMPETING FOR THE TITLE OF MISS ALABAMA’S TEEN, AND I THINK HAD I HAD GONE THE TWO YEARS BEFORE, I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN READY. SO I REALLY WAS PERSISTENT ON TRUSTING IN GOD’S PLAN, AND I’M SO EXCITED TO SEE WHERE HE TAKES ME AND WHATEVER HAPPENS TO KNOW THAT SO MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE IN ME AND THAT I’VE BEEN ABLE TO REPRESENT ALABAMA IS SUCH A BLESSING. THE MISS AMERICA AND MISS AMERICA’S TEEN COMPETITIONS ARE TAKING PLACE IN ORLANDO THIS WEEK, BUT YOU CAN WATCH ONLINE THE TEEN PRELIMINARY COMPETITION WILL BE LIVE STREAMED TOMORROW NIGHT, AND THEN THE TALENT PRELIMINARY IS SET FOR THURSDAY. AND THEN A NEW MISS AMERICA’S TEEN WILL BE CROWNED SATURDAY. AND OF COURSE, WE’LL HAVE INFORMATION ON HOW YOU CAN WATCH ON WVTM 13.COM. AND BE SURE TO JOIN US BACK HERE TOMORROW NIGHT. I’LL SHARE MY CONVERSATION WITH MISS ALABAMA ABBY STOCKARD AS SHE GETS READY TO COMPETE FOR MISS AMERICA. SO EXCITING AND SO MUCH PREPARATION GOES INTO THIS FOR FO