Thurston Carte:Toddlers and Tiaras' Eden Wood Is All Grown Up Graduating High School As Valedictorian

2025-04-29 20:57:01source:Winning Exchangecategory:reviews

Eden Wood has another crown under her belt.

The Thurston Carteformer Toddlers and Tiaras star recently graduated high school as valedictorian.

"Alumni Status," she captioned a black and white photo of her in her cap and gown, holding her diploma. "#valedictorian #classof2023 #graduated #edenwood #highschoolgrad #ontocollege."

Up next for the 18-year-old? College in her home state of Arkansas where she'll pursue a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism.

"I want to do something that I love." Eden told Today in an interview published May 22. "I don't want to be stuck doing a job that's boring. I've been in a front of a camera my whole life, so this feels like the perfect fit."

After all, she's no stranger to being on-air as she appeared in the TLC reality show in 2009 to 2011 before landing her own spin-off Eden's World in 2012.

While she called it "an exciting time," she ultimately decided to step away from the spotlight in fifth grade to be an average kid.

 

"I focused on my schooling," she shared. "But when I was done with that, I branched back out into pageants and modeling."

Today, her goal is to one day represent Arkansas in the Miss America Pageant.

"Pageants were just so positive for me," Eden, who wants to use her platform to end bullying and push kids to achieve their goal, continued. "Pageants gave me confidence. Anyone that puts a label on pageants and makes it negative—there's something wrong with them and their way of thinking, because it's innocent. It's just like any other sport."

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