Karlie Hay sat down on Tuesday with Good Morning America and apologized for her use of racial epithets in 2013.
The newly-crowned Miss Teen USA, Hay made headlines of the wrong kind after winning this title on Saturday night when a number of racially-insensitive Tweets from her past went public.
They all involved her dropping the N-Word in casual conversations with friends.
Pageant officials decided NOT to strip Hay of her crown, after which the Texas native made the following statement:
"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."
On Tuesday’s GMA, Hay continued to express regret over her past actions.
“I am very sorry. It’s embarrassing. It’s something I’m ashamed of, and I’ve grown up from that 15-year-old girl who used that type of language," she says in the following footage.
Hay continued:
"At that age, I was being a follower. I was trying to fit in with my friends. The word was thrown around in the music I listened to, with the friends I hung out with, and I had no guidance so it was kind of a careless mistake.
"When the tweet got brought back up I was just like kind of embarrassed, ashamed, and just amazed that I actually at one point in my life thought it was okay to use that word because it’s never okay."
You can see a few of the questionable Tweets below:
"I’ve grown from then, and I’ve blossomed into the person I am today,” Hay added.
“I think that I can turn this message into a positive message because there are people that use that word and it’s not acceptable ever.
"I’ve learned that through every obstacle there’s something positive that can come out of it, and I can use my title to do great things. Hopefully, people learn from my mistakes."
In the end, Hay said she"s attempting to “stay positive” through all the controversy, adding: “It was an incredibly bad mistake.”
That"s all she can really say at this point, right?
Watch Hay"s interview below.
