NESHOBA COUNTY, Miss. ( WJTV ) – Alice Keats is the first Miss Hospitality from Neshoba County .

Keats is also the first member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians to represent Neshoba County in the Miss Hospitality competition, which occurred in July. Before that competition, however, Keats was the Choctaw Indian Princess for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

Though Keats was first exposed to pageantry in elementary school, being a princess is part of her family’s legacy. Her grandmother, great-aunt, aunt and mother were all Choctaw Indian Princesses.

A big portion of the contest is being able to convey the heritage, pride and history of the Choctaw Indians. During the competition, her grandmother, aunt and mother came together to help Keats do so; she won.

After winning the crown in 2019, Keats began to develop and use her public speaking skills across Mississippi. When the pandemic came in 2020, she was asked to serve as princess for another year. She served virtually, but the impact she made as a public health spokesperson was personally felt by many in her tribe.

“I wanted to bring a light to my people and so I was able to share that with them,” Keats said.

Being able to serve as a representative for her people inspired her to change her culinary arts major. Keats is now a senior communications major with a minor in social media marketing at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM).

As Neshoba County’s Miss Hospitality, all of Neshoba County became her people. She sought to highlight the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and the people of Neshoba County at July’s competition. Though she did not win, conveying their history was an honor then and is still her mission now.

“We’ve been around our tribe and our culture all our lives, so now it’s up to us to share that,” Keats said.

Neshoba is the Choctaw word for wolf. At the Neshoba County Fair, her mission remains the same; to make sure everyone knows about the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians’ impact on the history of Neshoba County and the state.

“I feel like it’s kind of the hidden gem of Neshoba County,” Keats said.

Upon graduation, she hopes to use social media and her communications degree in a way that continues to inform people about her tribe. Keats expects to finish her studies at USM in May 2026.

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