TAKING THE STAGE — Delanie Graham, left and Courtney Bearer are in Orlando for competition in the Miss America’s Teen and Miss America pageants respectively. The two earned their state crowns in Martinsburg earlier this summer. -- Photo courtesy of Courtney Bearer

ORLANDO — Two young women from the Mountain State are stepping into the national spotlight this week as they travel to Orlando, Florida, to represent West Virginia in the Miss America and Miss America’s Teen competitions.

Courtney Bearer, 23, of Morgantown, was crowned Miss West Virginia 2025 in June. A summa cum laude graduate of West Virginia University and the Community College of Beaver County, she now works as an account coordinator at Blaine Turner Advertising and previously taught dance. She will make history Thursday when she performs a hula hoop routine to “Wipeout,” the first time the talent has ever appeared on the Miss America stage.

Bearer’s community service initiative, Connecting with Cardio, was inspired by her family’s history with heart disease, including her mother’s heart attack at age 41. Through her creative “Hula-Thons,” school programs, and online outreach to more than 100,000 followers, she has raised thousands of dollars and promoted heart health to families and children across West Virginia.

“It didn’t really sink in when I was packing to head to Orlando, but I’m sure it will when I get there,” she said just before traveling to Florida. “I’m most excited to meet the other contestants from across the country and, of course, to represent West Virginia.”

Sharing the spotlight is Delanie Graham, 17, of Kearneysville, who was crowned Miss West Virginia’s Teen earlier this summer. A senior at Jefferson High School, Graham is a National Honor Society student with a 4.4 GPA and an accomplished dancer, choreographer, author and small business owner. She took the stage Thursday in the talent competition with a lyrical dance to “Not About Angels” by Noelle Maracle. Finals for the Teen competition are set for Saturday.

Her community service initiative, Project PowHERful, focuses on closing the opportunity gap for young women by equipping them with tools and resources to succeed. Graham, who has also walked the runway at New York Fashion Week, hopes to study marketing and public relations with the goal of becoming a marketing director for a luxury fashion brand.

“I’m not nervous about anything specific, just the competition in general,” she said. “I remind myself, ‘I can control what I can control.'”

Both Bearer and Graham have spent months preparing for this journey through training in fitness and talent, practicing interviews and sharpening their public speaking skills. For them, the competitions are about more than crowns. They represent a chance to share their causes, connect with young women from across the country and showcase West Virginia on a national stage.

The Miss America finals will be held Sunday, with Bearer competing for the national title, while Graham hopes to earn the Miss America’s Teen crown the evening before.