SEATTLE, WA—On April 5, Carrie Everett, who was crowned Miss North Carolina 2024, passed away surrounded by family and loved ones. She was 22. Everett was a student at NCCU when she was named Miss North Carolina.

She became the first student of a Historically Black College to be named Miss NC. She told WRAL her goal was “to inspire women and minorities, showing them, they belong in every space they desire to be in.”

“If you saw my face, I was actually bawling. I just kept thinking, thank you, God, thank you, Jesus….I wasn’t able to pay for an instrument, so I had to borrow. I wasn’t able to buy all the evening gowns, so I had to borrow, or I had to go to the thrift store.”

Everett was at her Seattle home, undergoing treatment for a rare stomach cancer, metastatic signet ring cell carcinoma.

The NCCU Chancellor, Dr. Karen Dixon, posted the following statement on the NCCU website giving tribute to Carrie’s achievements.

“It is with deep sadness that I inform you of the passing of Ms. Carrie Everett, most recently a sophomore music major, on Sunday, April 5, 2026, after a valiant battle with cancer.

A native of Seattle, Washington, Carrie will be remembered as a trailblazer who shared her inspirational talent and leadership with so many. As a sophomore in 2024, she became the first current HBCU student to be named Miss North Carolina.

Her platform, We Need Equity to Build Communities, sought to make pageants more accessible to young people. Her work to recruit young women who may not consider pageants due to the expensive entry fees and wardrobes was commendable.

Carrie selected NCCU because of the university’s music program – she enjoyed singing gospel music – and regularly graced NCCU occasions with her beautiful singing voice. Her ambition, grace, tenacity and talent will be deeply missed.”

“Carrie Everett transitioned on Easter Sunday with her family and friends surrounding her with love. The family is spending time together as they celebrate her memory. They ask that you continue to pray for them [and] celebrate her memory,” the Everett family said in a statement.