Hickory native Maddie Oliphant crowned Miss Mississippi Teen USA 2025
MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) - Hickory native and East Central Community College student Maddie Oliphant was crowned Miss Mississippi Teen USA 2025 over a week ago. Now, she is ready to hit the ground running and share her community service platform, Maddie’s Little Library, inspired by her little brother, all over the state.
“The name of my platform is Maddie’s Little Library, and I focus on enhancing childhood literacy in Mississippi by ensuring the availability of physical books all across the state. The inspiration behind Maddie’s Little Library is my little brother Evan, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3 and reading was something that we consistently did together, and I noticed how his comprehension skills got so much better with reading consistently, and I want to share his journey with reading with everyone across the state, and i want to host a local book drive now that I’m Miss Mississippi Teen USA to collect books and give back to daycares, preschools and little local libraries. Because it’s people like you and me and ideas like Maddie’s Little Library who can grow this organization, and that’s exactly what I plan to do,” Miss Mississippi Teen USA 2025 Maddie Oliphant says.
As the first African American Miss Mississippi Teen USA, Maddie wants to continue growing her platform and inspiring younger girls all over.
“During my year, I would like to grow my Maddie’s Little Library platform, and I’d like to be a representation of girls that look like me out in the crowd and to go out and make your own history. I was the first African American Miss Mississippi Teen USA crowned, and I want to use that as a talking point in my Miss Teen USA interview. I want to show girls that we can do it. You can win pageants, go out and go for it,” Oliphant says.
With an entire year to serve her state, Maddie is ready to share her story and give back to the people who helped and supported her along the way, including her small town.
“I’m ready to lead. I’m ready to hit the ground running with the work that I have planned with my platform. I want to share my story and give back to the people who made this happen because it genuinely does take a community. I believe that I couldn’t have done this without my small town and the support I had there. I want to give back to them, I want to highlight the small businesses in my town that really poured into me and I want to do them the smallest little favor by just giving back to them,” Miss Mississippi Teen USA Maddie Oliphant also says, “The first person that I would like to thank is my mom and my family for being there just when I was questioning myself if I should go for it another year my last year as a teen, I went for it, I won the title, but if they weren’t there to push me to be the best that I could, I could not have done this without them. Another person that I’d like to thank is Miss Stephanie Moore my hair and makeup artist who did my makeup for the high school Beauty and Beau’s and for giving me that confidence and then giving me that push that I really needed and without them and the coaches that have helped me along the way, then I wouldn’t be able to be as good at communicating as I am.”
Congratulations to Maddie, as you accomplish all that you ever dreamed of and more throughout your year of service.
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