About McKayla Young
Miss Smithfield 2025 | Miss North Carolina Candidate
McKayla Young is a passionate leader, mentor, and advocate for personal growth and empowerment. Currently serving as Miss Smithfield 2025 with the Miss America Organization, McKayla is proudly preparing to compete for the title of Miss North Carolina on June 28 in High Point. Through her journey, she is committed to using her platform to inspire change and opportunity for others, championing her initiative, Polished Pathways. Through Polished Pathways, McKayla works to ensure that homelessness and poverty are not life sentences, propelling individuals toward their fullest potential with the proper resources and support they need to thrive.
Beyond the crown, McKayla hosts Surviving the Wilderness, a podcast that explores how faith intersects with everyday life, encouraging listeners to become the brightest and boldest versions of themselves. Her life’s work reflects her deep belief in the transformative power of faith, education, and resilience.
McKayla’s pageant experience highlights her longstanding dedication to excellence and service, having previously served as Miss Omega Psi Phi 2019–2020 and earning second runner-up honors in the Miss Black Talented Teen North Carolina pageant in 2014.
A proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (Rho Psi Omega chapter), McKayla exemplifies the ideals of sisterhood, leadership, and service in everything she does.
Professionally, she serves as the Director of Student Transition and Engagement at North Carolina Central University, where she oversees the Aspiring Eagles Academy program, mentoring and empowering first-year college students as they transition into higher education and adulthood.
McKayla holds both undergraduate and master’s degrees in Biological and Biomedical Sciences from NCCU and is currently pursuing her doctorate in Psychology – Theology at Liberty University. Her academic and professional pursuits align with her mission to uplift and empower others through biblical counseling, leadership development, and educational advocacy.
Your support of McKayla’s Miss North Carolina journey is not just an investment in her dreams—it is an investment in building pathways of hope, opportunity, and transformation for countless individuals and communities.