A beloved young pageant queen who made history after winning the Miss North Carolina title died on Sunday after an eight-month battle with an aggressive cancer.
Carrie Everett was the first Liberian American Miss North Carolina, and she was the first student of a Historically Black College and University to win the title.
Everett, 22, was a Seattle native and became a pageant queen in June 2024 during her sophomore year at North Carolina Central University.
'I can be the first but not the last. I want young women from all over the state and throughout the country attending HBCUs [to know] that this opportunity is for them,' she told CBS17 shortly after winning the title.
Everett was a talented vocal performance major, slated to graduate in 2027. She received the talent award and a scholarship for her performance at the Miss America competition.
The pageant queen was diagnosed with metastatic signet ring cell carcinoma in the summer of 2025, just a little more than a year after becoming Miss North Carolina.
According to a GoFundMe that was set up by her family to help cover the costs of cancer treatment, she received her diagnosis after wrapping up her sophomore year and visiting her family in Seattle.
During the trip, 'she started to experience intense bloating and coughing,' according to the fundraiser.
Carrie Everett, 22, was the first woman who attended a Historically Black College and University to win the Miss North Carolina title. She recently died from an aggressive cancer.
Everett was also the first Liberian American to become Miss North Carolina.
Everett was diagnosed with metastatic signet ring cell carcinoma a little more than a year after she became Miss North Carolina.
The 22-year-old visited doctors multiple times and was told that she had pneumonia, but towards the end of July, scans discovered masses in her abdomen. She also had swollen lymph nodes, and her stomach lining was thickening.
A few days later, she began coughing up blood and was rushed to the hospital. She underwent a biopsy and was diagnosed with 'a rare and aggressive gastric cancer.'
The family revealed that Everett quickly experienced 'radical changes made to her lifestyle,' due to chemotherapy and other treatments for her cancer.
According to updates on the GoFundMe page, Everett was initially responding well to chemotherapy. On October 7, her family wrote: 'Miraculously, the tumors in her body have shrunk significantly.'
But in a second update posted about two weeks ago on March 21, her family wrote: 'After months of treatment, we've found that the traditional chemo approaches aren't working.'
'Our next steps are to have Carrie moved out of state to a different facility for treatment.'
Then, on April 6, the family confirmed that Everett died.
On her Instagram and GoFundMe pages, they wrote: 'We are heartbroken to share that last night, the beautiful nightingale, Helen Carrie Everett, passed away after a courageous battle with cancer.'
Everett won the title in July 2024 during her sophomore year at North Carolina Central University.
Everett was a vocal performance major and had a beautiful voice. She received the talent award and a scholarship for her performance at the Miss America competition.
Everett would have graduated from college in 2027.
Everett's battle with cancer lasted a little more than eight months and caused 'radical changes' to her lifestyle.
Everett's family announced that she died on Sunday night and said they were 'heartbroken.'
'The cries of her heart became songs that stirred the spirits of everyone who had the pleasure of hearing her sing. She lived a full life, and with her last words, on stage and in life, she proclaimed the goodness of God.
'Her impact on this world is undeniable, and we will carry on her legacy of advocacy and praise. Please allow our family the privacy to mourn. Details of her memorial will be shared with loved ones in the coming days.
'Please keep our family in your prayers at this time.'
The Miss North Carolina Scholarship Organization also released a statement expressing 'sincere sympathy to the family of Carrie Everett, Miss North Carolina 2024.'
'Carrie forcefully utilized the platform offered by the Miss North Carolina title to encourage students in historically black colleges and universities to take advantage of the scholarship and professional opportunities afforded by the Miss America program,' the organization continued.
'She also challenged minority and socially marginalized students to focus on goal setting and personal development, setting their sights high.
'Her untimely passing silences a strong voice for social justice but her impact will continue to live on in the lives she touched.'