About Me

My name is Celeste Lay and I was born in Dallas, Texas and adopted at 48 hours old. From then on, I have been raised in a Christian home and attended Prestonwood Christian Academy for eight years. During my second year of high school, I transferred to Tyler Legacy High School (FKA Robert E. Lee High School) where I participated in Drill Team, Varsity Choir, Varsity Musical Theater and other various student lead organizations.

 I am currently a student at The University of Mississippi studying Multi-media Journalism with a minor in Hospitality Management. I am involved with Chi Omega sorority, Student Activity Association, NewsWatch Ole Miss, and I am the Secretary for the School of Journalism and New Media. 

Outside of campus life, I am a part of pageantry and community service. As a title holder, we are encouraged to have a community service initiative that we are passionate about educating others on. My initiative is "Chosen. Raising Awareness of Adoption as a Choice". With this platform, I have partnered with the nationally known Adoption Network and created a multi-media hashtag, #TheAdoptionSpotlight where people are able to share their experiences of adoption. 

As of now, I have reached over 8,000 people with valuable information about adoption. 

I am the current Miss Queen of the South and will compete for Miss Mississippi, June of 2025. I am excited to not only serve the amazing Mississippi community but to also grow my personal initiative. 

Love always, 

Celeste Lay