Miss High School America was recently crowned and she calls the Tar Heel State home!
Abigail Dries of Fayetteville is this year's big winner. Dries attends Gray's Creek High School. She was crowned Miss High School America 2026 on July 2 in Little Rock, Arkansas.
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Miss High School America is the largest competition of its kind in the United States, with over 200 young women competing in four phases to win the coveted title.
She's been competing in pageants since elementary school and she fell in love with it. She credits her family with tremendous support and love from the beginning.
"They definitely are my biggest cheerleaders; they've sacrificed so much for me to chase my dreams," Dries said. "I brought home the flyer to my mom, and she was pretty unsure about it, but I begged her to just buy me a dress and put me in the pageant, and that's what she did."
Dries participated in her school pageant three times, eventually moving on to local festival pageants and then she was introduced to the Miss High School America organization.
The organization started in 2009, providing personal and professional opportunities for young women. Abigail competed in her first state pageant in the organization in 2023 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She placed in the top 5 and knew she couldn't stop there.
"Then I came back as Miss NC High and placed first runner-up," she said. "For the past four years, I put so much time and energy into this dream, so finally being able to accomplish it, I can't even describe it. I can't even put it into words; it just means so much to me."
In addition to capturing the national crown, Abigail also received a prize package worth more than $100,000, including a $40,000 scholarship to High Point University.
Abigail will spend the coming year serving as a national ambassador for her anti-bullying platform, Raise Your Hand. It's a topic near to her heart after experiencing bullying firsthand.
"It's where I speak to students about the importance of being an upstander and not a bystander, as well as promoting the 'Be Kind'" message," Dries said.
Through school visits, community outreach, and speaking engagements, the program encourages young people to recognize bullying, stand up for others, and create school environments built on kindness, courage and inclusion.
Abigail has taught this throughout North Carolina and is working with the Department of Public Instruction to possibly have it implemented in North Carolina schools.