Distinguished Young Women Winners
By Bonita Wilborn
The Distinguished Young Women of DeKalb County scholarship program announced their Distinguished Young Women winners on Saturday, August 3, 2019, at their annual award ceremony held at the Fort Payne City Hall Auditorium.
The recipients of the awards are as follows:
- Distinguished Young Woman of DeKalb County 2020 – Jessica Westmoreland
- 1st Runner Up – Audrey Schrader
- 2nd Runner Up – Kayla Henderson
- “Be Your Best Self” Essay Winner – Abigail Carson
- Scholastics Winner – Jessica Westmoreland
- Talent Winner – Maegan Womack
- Self-Expression Winner – Jessica Westmoreland
- Physical Fitness Winner – Jessica Westmoreland
- Spirit of DYW Winner – Audrey Schrader
As the overall winner, Jessica Westmoreland will move on to the state program, which will take place in Montgomery sometime in January.
Initiated this year was a new program called Distinguished Darlings, a 4-hour workshop for girls Kindergarten through 6th grades. Distinguished Darlings met on Saturday, July 27. They learned a choreographed routine, which they performed during the DYW awards program, took an etiquette class, and were taught the five pillars of the “Be Your Best Self” outreach program.
The national DYW scholarship program, founded in 1958, is the largest and oldest national scholarship program for high school girls. In addition to cash scholarships, DYW participants are eligible for college-granted scholarships from over 100 colleges and universities. More than $1 billion in college scholarship opportunities were provided last year, some of which included full tuition, room, and board to first-class institutions.
All participants also take part in Distinguished Young Women’s Life Skills Workshops to gain skills that will serve them well in the program and life beyond high school. DYW’s core workshops include interviewing skills, public speaking, and Be Your Best Self (our outreach program, which stresses making positive choices for yourself and your future). It’s FREE to participate!
Many participants leave the program with scholarships to help them with their college educations, but all of them walk away with friendships, life skills, and increased self-confidence. DYW strives to give every young woman the opportunity to further her education and prepare for a successful future.
DYW will soon be recruiting participants for the class of 2021. For more information, contact Kaysie Price, at dekalb@distinguishedyw.org.