'Big shoes to fill': Miss Middle Tennessee Brandee Mills crowned as Miss Tennessee 2023

Lucas Finton, Memphis Commercial Appeal
Updated ·4 min read
2

Miss Middle Tennessee Brandee Mills will represent the Volunteer State in this year's Miss America Scholarship Competition after being crowned Saturday night under the lights at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts in Memphis.

Mills returned in 2023 after being the runner-up to outgoing Miss Tennessee Lauren Dickson — who crowned Mills this year — in last year's competition.

"I've been doing this for a really long time," Mills told The Commercial Appeal after being crowned. "Each year you get a little better. Talent was always really fun for me. I started getting better at the interview portion, and all these other things, and somehow, along the way, all the pieces just feel together when it was the right time."

Mills will next compete in the Miss America Scholarship Competition, hoping to be the first Miss Tennessee to win the title since Kellye Cash was crowned in 1987.

A gymnast since childhood, and a self-proclaimed "nerd" of the musical "Hamilton," Mills performed a routine to the song "My Shot" and told judges success was not about accolades, but is what you do every day. After being crowned, she looked ahead to her new duties as Miss Tennessee.

"I definitely have a lot to accomplish," Mills told The Commercial Appeal. "This is just the beginning, and Miss Tennessee is but a glimpse of all the things that I have to accomplish."

Mills moved to California when she was in her mid-teens to begin a career in entertainment, taking part in a number of advertisements and performing with circus troupes across Los Angeles. Eventually, her mom pushed her to go to a large university to earn a degree. She applied to one school, UCLA, and earned her degree there.

"By the time I got to school, I kind of struggled a bit," she said. "I didn't know what I wanted to do, but knew what I was doing at the time was not that. It turned out that I just really needed to choose something that I was interested in. I was always a good student, and I always had this idea that I wanted to be a doctor, but I was too afraid to chase it because I didn't know if I was capable."

Brandee Mills, Miss Middle Tennessee, is crowned the 2023 Miss Tennessee on July 1, 2023 during the Miss Tennessee Scholarship Competition at the Cannon Center For The Performing Arts in Memphis, Tenn.
Brandee Mills, Miss Middle Tennessee, is crowned the 2023 Miss Tennessee on July 1, 2023 during the Miss Tennessee Scholarship Competition at the Cannon Center For The Performing Arts in Memphis, Tenn.

But, she said, she was and is looking to apply to colleges to earn her medical degree. Currently living in Nashville, Mills is a cheerleader for the Tennessee Titans and works in a neuroscience lab. Her current project at the lab focuses on treating patients with Down Syndrome and Alzheimer's.

Mills said her sister, who is a practicing physician specializing in OB-GYN, was a large inspiration in deciding to go into the medical field.

"I'm kind of following in her footsteps, but there are also big shoes to fill on that end," she said. "It is really inspiring to see someone you know, who looks like you, achieve what you want to do. It gives you hope that no matter where you come from — your background — if someone else did it, you can do it."

Mills' win makes her the second Black woman to be crowned Miss Tennessee, following Brianna Mason's victory in 2019. Mills said she has "big shoes to fill" following Mason, along with the two other winners who preceded her, Tally Bevis and Dickson.

As she moves into her new role, Mills said she hopes to tackle divides in education and build confidence in young Tennesseans to find their dream careers.

"Why can't we take the time to provide resources for kids who need them?" Mills asked. "At the end of the day, everyone is not on the same playing field when it comes to education. That's another big thing that I hope to tackle this year. How do we provide equitable education across our school systems?"

Runners-up in the 2023 Miss Tennessee Scholarship Competition

Saturday's field of contestants was whittled from 29 to 12. After those 12 competed in the talent and conversation portions, only five were left.

The four runners-up in the competition were:

  • Savannah Madison, Miss Robertson County, in second place.

  • Sabrina Ponte, Miss Greater Gibson County, in third place.

  • Cassandra Pintaro, Miss Music City, in fourth place.

  • Hawa Ceesay, Miss Jackson, in fifth place.

Lucas Finton is a criminal justice reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com and followed on Twitter @LucasFinton.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Miss Middle Tennessee Brandee Mills crowned as Miss Tennessee 2023