Less than 24 hours since after being named the newly crowned Miss Teen USA 2016, Karlie Hay came under fire when commentators and social media users found inappropriate racial slurs on her twitter account, which were dated from 2013 and 2014; including some tweets that used the “N” word.

After news broke out on this story, Hay immediately went on both her twitter and Instagram accounts responded to the allegations stating:  “Several years ago, I had many personal struggles and found myself in a place that is not representative of who I am as a person. I admit that I have used language publicly in the past which I am not proud of and that there is no excuse for. Through hard work, education and thanks in large part to the sisterhood that I have come to know through pageants, I am proud to say that I am today a better person. I am honored to hold this title and I will use this platform to promote the values of The Miss Universe Organization, and my own, that recognize the confidence, beauty and perseverance of all women.”

Despite questions of Hay’s character and calls for her to be stripped of her crown, Miss Teen USA appears to be standing by its latest winner. The Miss Universe Organization, which oversees Miss Teen USA, provided the following statement: “As Karlie stated, she was in a different place in her life and made a serious mistake she regrets and for which she sincerely apologizes. Miss Teen USA 2016 has already experienced due to its lack of diversity. The top five contestants for the title were fair, blonde women with blue eyes.  Hays, the newly crowned Miss Teen USA 2016, graduated from Tomball High School this year and want to enroll at Texas A&M University. She aspires to be a businesswoman and wants to advocate for people affected by drug and alcohol abuse throughout her reign as Miss Teen USA 2016.