Seymour’s McKay named Miss TN Volunteer

Hannah McKay is having a memorable summer.

She started it off by graduating from the University of Tennessee, and near the end, she was named Miss Tennessee Volunteer 2025.

The Seymour native will now serve as Gov. Bill Lee’s representative for character education, speaking to school groups across the state and sharing her message of empowerment.

McKay competed in the state pageant representing Miss Tennessee Valley.

When they announced the top 16 semifinalists, she was named No. 14. Later in the night when they named the top 12, 10 and five, she was named third, second and first, respectively, not having to wait long to find out if she was advancing.

But her name was called last when it counted the most, when they announced the winner and top four runners-up from the final five.

“All week, I’ve said it’s in God’s hands and I was OK with however it went,” McKay said after the win and a few dozen photos with friends, family and other supporters from the Tennessee Volunteer organization. “But as we got closer and closer, I got more and more nervous about it just to see how long I would stay in this.”

McKay’s platform focused on using music for memories, which is a big thing for her because of her work she does in nursing homes helping people battling Alzheimer’s reclaim memories through music.

She does that through singing, but she does have the ability to do it with one musical instrument.

“I played the French harp in band growing up until my sophomore year of high school, and I broke my mother’s heart when I switched over to choir,” McKay said laughing. “So singing is what I do in nursing homes.”

McKay said she’s looking forward to speaking to children in schools on behalf of Gov. Lee. During the question portion of the night with the top five, McKay was asked about the biggest she wants to help children overcome.

“I think comparison is the biggest thief of joy we have,” McKay said. “So I’ll talk to children about just being who they are and not worrying about what anyone else is doing because individualism and being true to yourself is more important than staying a part of any group or trying to fit in where you don’t belong.”

Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news