Competing in any pageant is very humbling for Caroline Ford.

“When you leave the auditorium, you feel accomplished because you work so hard for something,” the 18-year-old South Warren High School graduate said. “You really are a winner just because it’s a lot of hard work. When you compete and put your all into it, you have gained something from the experience whether you win or lose.”

She was excited to be named Miss Kentucky Teen USA on Jan. 11 at the Ursuline Arts Center in Louisville. Her next competition will be the Miss Teen USA Pageant, which will stream live Aug. 22 at missteenusa.com and will be at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas.

“When you’re up there standing hand-in-hand, it’s so excruciating. They wait so long to call (your name) out. It’s very suspenseful,” she said. “At that point in the competition, you’ve been there all week and you’re probably worn out and running on adrenaline.

“You hear it, but you don’t really know. The back half of the audience stood up,” she said of hearing her name called as the winner. “That’s where my friends and family were.”

Miss Kentucky Teen USA is operated out of New York City by the Miss Universe Organization, which is owned by Comcast, NBCUniversal and Donald Trump.

“It’s an organization of inner beauty and being confident,” she said. “Their slogan is ‘confidently beautiful.’”

This wasn’t Caroline Ford’s first pageant. Some in which she has competed include the Miss Kentucky Teen County Fair in 2012 and Miss Kentucky Outstanding Teen, which is affiliated with the Miss America Organization, in 2014, where she was third runner-up. She was also third runner-up in the Miss Kentucky Teen USA Pageant in 2014.

“Each time you go, it’s different. When you’ve prepared and practiced and worked really hard, the only thing to do is be prepared mentally,” she said. “If you go and be yourself and have fun, you’re going to do better. I think the key to being successful is having fun and letting the judges know who you are.”

Caroline Ford is founder of the Young Artist Alliance, which creates performance opportunities for young people while serving the community.

“How you can change people’s lives is probably what made me so driven to receive the crown,” she said.

Robyn Ford, Caroline Ford’s mother, said her initial thought as her daughter was being crowned was how many people played a role in helping her become the young woman she is now.

“She had a lot of great mentors. There are so many great young ladies who compete,” she said. “They’re all deserving. Most of these ladies give back to their community. To have your name called as someone who receives the title is very humbling.”

Robyn Ford competed in pageants growing up, and she believes it helped develop her personal growth. She said she parents each of her children – which include Charlotte, 11, and Annabelle, 15 – to their strengths and helps them to be the best person they can be.

“Any time your child is involved, you have to remember it’s not necessarily about the goal of winning, but what you learn along the way,” she said. “(Caroline) wants to make a difference in her community. It’s a family tradition for us, to make sure we’re giving back.”

Andy Ford, Caroline Ford’s father, said he’s “awfully proud of her.”

“She works very hard. She’s a wonderful daughter and sister,” he said. “She’s always been thoughtful. She’ll try to be a peer for these kids to look up to.”

Connie Harrison, Kentucky’s executive state director for the Miss Universe Organization, believes Caroline Ford is “forward thinking.”

“She has a sweet spirit. She won because she was just herself,” she said. “She’s a beautiful young girl. I’m excited to work with her this year.”

Caroline Ford, who will begin her freshman year at Western Kentucky University next week, said she will compete in the Miss Teen USA Pageant with the same confidence she had in the Miss Kentucky Teen USA Pageant.

“To be Miss Teen USA would be a dream come true. At the end of the day, I have a role in Kentucky,” she said. “I’m going to work hard and do my very best, but I have an exciting year here in Kentucky no matter what. Hopefully I can make a lot of new friends and hopefully I can make a difference in my state.”

— For more information about Miss Kentucky USA and Miss Kentucky Teen USA, email info@misskentuckyusa.com.

— Follow features reporter Alyssa Harvey on Twitter at twitter.com/bgdnfeatures or visit bgdailynews.com.