Chelsea High junior Ali Mims crowned Miss Alabama's Teen 2024

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Ali Mims, a Harpersville resident and junior at Chelsea High School, on Sunday was crowned Miss Alabama’s Teen 2024 at a competition at Thompson High School in Alabaster.

Mims, who was competing as Miss Hoover’s Teen 2024, was chosen from among 38 contestants and now will go on to represent Alabama in the Miss America’s Teen competition in Orlando.

Mims also won the Community Service Award. Several years ago, she created the Joyful Noise Foundation, which raises money to put musical instruments in special needs classes.

She already has raised more than $18,000 for the foundation with a talent show and sales of a book and coloring book she created and put musical instruments in at least 20 self-contained classrooms across Alabama and in Nicaragua.

Mims first won her talent preliminary and evening gown preliminary on Saturday before being named in the Top 16. For her talent, she performed an opera song called “O Mio Babbino Caro,” which is about a woman who begs her father to let her marry the love of her life.

Julie Bentley, director of the Miss Hoover competition, said she was very excited for Mims.

“She is the hardest-working teenager. She truly cares about her platform. She will represent the state really well,” Bentley said. “She’s just such a sweet, sweet, funny girl. She tells dad jokes. I love her like my own, and I’m so proud of her.”

Mims plans to study music education and music therapy at Auburn University and hopes one day to do music therapy with children at somewhere like Children’s of Alabama hospital. She is on the varsity cheer squad and Student Leadership Board at Chelsea High School, as well as in the Key Club and Future Teachers of America.

This was her third time to compete in the Miss Alabama’s Teen competition. Two years ago, Mims competed as Miss Shelby County’s Teen, and last year she was Miss Tuscaloosa’s Teen. 

Mims was crowned as Miss Alabama’s Teen 2024 by Miss Alabama’s Teen 2023 Elaina Burt, a resident of the Riverchase community in Hoover and senior at Briarwood Christian School.