Mallard Creek High grad gets national crown

Mallard Creek High School grad Courtney Smith of Charlotte has been crowned National Teen 2015 by the Princess America Pageants.

Courtney, 17, is the daughter of Melanee and Rod Smith and a member of the National Society of High School Scholars. She plans to attend East Carolina University in the fall.

She will spend a year as an ambassador for Give Kids The World, a program for children with life-threatening illnesses.

Courtney is a cheerleader and participates in DECA activities, the international association of marketing students.

She plans to major in business administration in college and ultimately would like to work in public relations.

This story was originally published July 19, 2015 at 2:38 PM with the headline "Mallard Creek High grad gets national crown."