Distinguished Young Women of Lauderdale County
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Scholarship, Leadership, Talent
Distinguished Young Women, formerly America’s Junior Miss, was founded in 1958 as a way to reward the accomplishments of high school senior girls seeking to pursue higher education. Prior to its organization, the Mobile, AL Jaycees held an annual event, Azalearama, to promote their city and its beautiful azaleas. Each spring Azalea Trail Maids were selected from high school senior girls in the area, to represent the annual event and they would receive scholarships for college. With few scholarship opportunities available to girls in the 1950’s, entrants started showing up from Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Sponsors opened it to high school girls from every state and the Junior Miss Program was born.
The originators soon recognized a need for a state chartered program and Meridian/Lauderdale County’s local program began in 1963. But the name, Junior Miss, it seemed, evoked images of a teenage beauty pageant. Scholarships didn’t come to mind, high heels and hairspray did. So in 2008, to be more relevant, the name evolved to Distinguished Young Women.
Today, Distinguished Young Women is a scholarship program that is open to all 11th grade young ladies. It does not focus on outward beauty, but focuses on scholastics, leadership, talent, interviews, .jpg)
and engagement skills. It’s an opportunity to connect with other young ladies across their county. They become a family; helping each other, training with each other and supporting each other. Participants can learn skills like interviewing, public speaking, confidence building and much more through workshops and online resources the DYW program offers. These skills not only prepare the participants for the program but also for the world after high school and college.
“It is always free to enter the Distinguished Young Women Program. In the last six years of DYW Lauderdale County, we have had just under 200 participants and have given away over $100,000 in cash scholarships. We have businesses and other sponsors that help with scholarship monies for the program. The state program also offers scholarships for the participants. We are one of the largest local programs from a scholarship level in the state. People in this area know DYW because the state program is hosted here in Meridian,” says Michael Gibson, Program Chairman.
“I hear regularly from parents thanking us for the investment made in their child. The DYW Program is improving the community through scholarships, and by encouraging area students to attend local colleges and universities. Being connected with the chamber further substantiates DYW’s commitment to Meridian/Lauderdale County. We’re proud to be a part of EMBDC because a vibrant community cannot exist without an active chamber.”
This year’s Distinguished Young Women’s program will be held February 20, 2021, at the MSU Riley Center. Tickets are $20 and available at the ticket office.