The Inside Scoop With Miss Maryland Teen USA

written by: Mia dubin

Sophie Pittman, 19, is more than a pageant queen and Miss Maryland Teen USA 2026; she is a leading example of balancing community service and college.

Pittman began competing in pageants at age 7 and was named second runner-up at Miss North Carolina Teen USA in 2024. As a little girl, she dreamed of competing in Miss Teen USA. Although she grew up in North Carolina, Pittman knew she wanted to compete for Maryland, as she studies journalism at the University of Maryland.

Winning Miss Maryland Teen USA launched a busy cycle for Pittman and her mother, Monica Pittman.

“My mom and I had boot camp immediately after winning, and then we drove to Ocean City, Maryland,” Pittman said. The two traveled throughout Maryland for weeks. 

Pittman balances her responsibilities as a full-time pageant queen, student and sorority sister by staying organized.

“I think the most important thing for me is just my to-do lists every day,” Pittman said. She emphasized how important making lists is for balancing her responsibilities, social life, and mental health. 

Pittman wants to be known for her work, not the crown she wears. She makes appearances around the state, but her goal is giving back. 

“My initiative is called Project Serve, and with Miss Maryland USA, I’ll go into middle schools and high schools across Maryland, and I will share Project Serve with them, an interactive online website and platform, and it connects students in Maryland with 10 nonprofits that match their personality type,” Pittman said. 

Pittman wants other young women to feel confident and not compare themselves to others. 

“I mean, it’s so hard because [in] pageantry, you’re surrounded by all of these beautiful… accomplished women [you could] ever meet, and it’s inspiring. But it can also be hard not to compare yourself to other girls,” Pittman said. “But then just recognizing that, you know, everyone’s path and everyone’s journey is totally different, and that’s okay, and that’s something I’m still learning.” 

Pittman said her biggest role model is her friend Haleigh Hurst, whom she met in eighth grade and has learned to admire both as a pageant competitor and as a woman. 

“She just kind of showed me that, like, you can do anything and everything you want. You don’t have to like just be a sorority girl, or just be a student, or just be a stereotypical pageant girl,” Pittman said.

Pittman also looks up to her sister queen, Holly Plank, Miss Maryland USA and host of “Hometown Highlights with Holly” with WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore. 

Plank described Pittman as a role model for young women, and added that she strives to create positive change and inspire the next generation. 

“Sophie brings a very good energy. She’s on time, she’s reliable,” Plank said. “She is definitely a go-getter… I think that is why she won Miss Maryland Teen because you can see that confidence, you can see that drive.”

Like Plank, Pittman is drawn to journalism because she considers herself curious.   

“I want to, like, share the human interest stories that you know we saw growing up on the news that aren’t quite as prevalent anymore, and that’s the impact I want to make,” Pittman said. 

Pittman wants to leave young women with the message that nothing is impossible. 

“Say yes to everything. You can do hard things,” Pittman said.

Editor’s note: The writer of this article is a friend of Sophie Pittman.

• inspiration
• journalism
• Maryland
• pageants
• Role-Model
• service
• student