[COLUMBIA, SC] November 1, 2025 — Miss America’s Teen 2026, Tess Ferm, was honored this weekend by the Miss South Carolina Organization during a series of homecoming celebrations in Columbia, South Carolina.
The festivities began as Tess was presented with a key to the City of Columbia by Mayor Daniel Rickenmann and received a special tour of the South Carolina State House. That evening, she was joined by family, friends, and members of the Miss America’s Teen Class of 2026 for a festive Masquerade Party on Halloween night, followed by a fun sleepover with her sisters who traveled from across the country to celebrate.
The following day, Tess was the guest of honor at Tess’ Royal Tea with Miss America’s Little Sisters. The weekend concluded with a Celebration Gala, where Tess was joined by her “big sister,” Miss America 2026 Cassie Donegan. Both Cassie and Tess spoke and performed at the event, which ended with a special surprise for Tess — a personal video message from Carrie Ann Inaba of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, gifted by Miss America HQ.
The Miss America Organization is proud to have Tess serving as a positive role model for teens across the nation and looks forward to the impact she will continue to make as she champions food allergy awareness and advocacy throughout her year as Miss America’s Teen 2026.
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About Miss America
Miss America is the nation’s premier empowerment platform for young women, with service to community at the core of its impact. Participants pursue personal and professional growth while inspiring others as positive role models. With its mission of Empowering Women to Lead, Miss America is also the largest provider of tuition scholarships for women in the United States, distributed through the Miss America’s Scholarship Foundation Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization.