By Katelyn Smith
Photos by Willie Moore, Tyler Raley & Contributed
A hush fell over the crowd and many girls stood on the stage before them. Dressed in extravagant gowns and heels, they held each other’s hands with anxious anticipation. Emma Terry was among them, heart pounding as they announced who won the title of Miss Alabama 2025.
When her name was read, it practically rang around the venue, and she struggled to believe it. Years of work and preparation had finally led her to this incredible and liberating moment.
When they placed the crown on her head and put a large bouquet of red roses in her hands, Terry suddenly felt like she was a 14-year-old girl again, watching Miss America on television and dreaming about representing Alabama on that stage.
For Terry, that will soon become her reality.
Now 22 years old, the Leeds native has been competing in pageants since she was 14, with her goal being to become Miss Alabama. On June 28, 2025, at the Wright Center at Samford University, all her hard work paid off as she was crowned Miss Alabama 2025.
She had spent months preparing for each aspect of the competition: the private interview, fitness modeling, talent, evening wear and the on-stage question. For her talent, she chose to showcase ballet en pointe, so she worked on a dance routine to “What a Feeling” by Irene Cara from the film “Flashdance.”
“The competition is so well-rounded,” Terry said. “You have to be able to speak and think on your feet, but then you also have to be able to carry yourself with elegance and poise in an evening walk or a fitness walk.”
She first joined the Miss America Opportunity eight years ago to pursue scholarship and personal growth opportunities, while also chasing her dream. Throughout her time and work with the program, she developed skills such as public speaking and gained increased confidence.
She is incredibly thankful for how the program has impacted her life and helped her reach her current position.
“That’s truly the beauty of it,” Terry said about the Miss America Opportunity. “That we are empowering women and also preparing women not just to compete in a current pageant, but for life, because the life skills and the confidence and just the overall sense of empowerment that I’ve gained has really changed my life.”
Although originally from Leeds, she has held other areas’ titles, including Miss Cahaba Valley’s Teen, Miss Jefferson County, Miss Covered Bridge’s Teen, Miss Alabama’s Teen and Miss Hoover, which she represented in the Miss Alabama competition this year. While attending the University of Alabama at Birmingham and earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting, she was also crowned Miss UAB.
Despite representing the city of Hoover in the competition, she always finds her way back home.
“I’m very proud to be from Leeds,” Terry said. “[I’m] just really honored to have this opportunity over the upcoming year to represent the city of Hoover, represent my hometown and just represent the entire state of Alabama.”
Terry’s family has had a long history with Leeds, as both her grandmother and mother attended Leeds High School before she did.
Leeds High School provided Terry with a strong support system composed of teachers and educators who shaped her as she grew. She is just as proud of graduating from Leeds as the teachers and educators are of her, and the town itself shares the same pride.
Just a week after she had been crowned, Terry attended a Leeds City Council meeting, only expecting a little recognition for her win. Not only did they recognize her hard work with the Miss America Opportunity, but they also named July 7 “Emma Terry Day” in her honor.
She is very thankful for the overwhelming support from her beloved city, but what does she cherish most about Leeds? The community’s closeness and personability.
“It’s an everybody-knows-everybody type of atmosphere,” Terry described. “You can go to a local downtown shop like mum & me, or you can go to the grocery store, or you can just be on an afternoon stroll, and you will probably run into somebody that you know, and that is just one of my favorite things about the atmosphere of my hometown of Leeds.”
One of the most significant aspects of growing up in Leeds was her time with her grandfather, or Grandy, as she calls him.
Stewart Simpson had developed ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, around the same time Terry was born. She had never known a time when he was not sick, and because it took his voice first, she never heard him speak.
She grew up taking care of her grandfather, and it was a struggle for the entire family as they watched his body deteriorate from the disease until he passed away in 2024.
Although she and her family felt utterly alone, they soon discovered a community that was struggling with the same situation. Seeing the universal effect of ALS, she decided to start her own organization to raise funds and awareness for ALS to honor her grandfather’s memory.
She called it Stomping Out ALS One Step at a Time.
“The whole idea behind my organization is that the smallest steps can make the biggest differences,” Terry explained. “You never know how one donation or how one event can support a family or change somebody’s life. So, the idea is that we can all come together to create huge, collective change for the ALS community.”
The organization hosts various events to raise awareness for its cause, including a car show and a race named after her grandfather: Stewart’s Race. She has also partnered with other ALS organizations, such as the ALS Association, to support their Walk to Defeat ALS event.
Grateful for all the excellent opportunities the program has provided her and still celebrating her Miss Alabama win, Terry now looks ahead to the future. She will soon take the stage to compete for Miss America alongside 51 other incredible young women, and she is more excited than ever.
“I used to watch Miss America when I was a little girl,” Terry recalled. “Sometimes it would even fall on my birthday, and I just thought, ‘Wow, those women are amazing,’ and I always wanted to be one of them. I always wanted to be somebody that got to be on Miss America’s stage, and now that dream is coming true as well. I’m just so excited, and my goal is to represent my state and hometown with pride.”
She firmly believes that the program is beneficial and important for young girls seeking opportunities, and she encourages others to join in making a positive impact on women worldwide.
Competing in pageants is not the only way to show support. People are also welcome to donate and volunteer to make a difference in someone’s life.
Terry is also deeply grateful to her incredible volunteers and directors, who have helped her throughout her entire journey.
Besides spending the next year as Miss Alabama and competing for Miss America, she also aims to attend law school and eventually, become an attorney, specializing in public finance.
For now, Terry prepares for the Miss America competition and focuses on spreading kindness wherever she goes as Miss Alabama.
“Part of my mission as Miss Alabama is just to be kind to everybody and show everybody that Miss Alabama can be a possibility for them, or if not Miss Alabama, whatever their goals and journeys are,” she said with pride.
Behind the crown, Terry is a small-town girl with a bright personality looking to improve the world one step at a time. Her dream-come-true moment was just the beginning.
Emma Terry’s website is stompingoutalsonestepatatime.com, and her official Miss Alabama Instagram is @missamericaal. To book Miss Alabama for an event, visit missalabama.com/meet-miss-alabama.
