Triton High School senior and Distinguished Young Woman of Triton, Abigail Powell, will travel to Kokomo on February 17th where she will prepare to compete for the 2018 title of Distinguished Young Woman of Indiana on February 21, 22, and 23.
Powell and 19 other high school senior girls from across the state will represent their local programs as they take the stage at IU Kokomo’s Havens Auditorium. There they will vie for $27,500 in college scholarships and the opportunity to represent Indiana in the national DYW competition in Mobile, Alabama on June 27, 28 and 29, 2019.
The public is invited to attend the preliminary rounds at Haven’s Auditorium on Feb. 21 and 22 starting at 7:00pm. On Thursday, Powell will perform a fitness routine and answer a self expression question. Then on Friday, she will recite a Vietnam Memorial Speech by Ronald Reagan before the preliminary awards are announced. Preliminary winners will advance to Saturday’s 6:00pm finale where the 2019 DWY of Indiana will be awarded.
Tickets can be purchased all three nights at the box office. Preliminary rounds are $12 for adults and $10 for students. Tickets for the Saturday finale are $15 for all.
Words of encouragement and flowers can be left at the mailbox table all three nights of the competition or sent to Abigail’s host family at 9520 E. St. Rd 26 Russiaville, IN 46979.
Contestants: Renee Wright representing Avon, Kaitlyn Cullers representing Bremen, Olivia Wyrick representing Clinton County, Lilianna Shank representing Concord, Erin Greising representing Elkhart County, Makenna Cooper representing Grant County, Kinley Boyd representing Greater Tippecanoe County, Makena Trew representing Hamilton County, Rhiana Brown representing Hancock County, Bridget Konopa representing Howard County, Shauna Drake representing Jackson County, Mallori Beyers representing Lawrence County, Jessica McIntosh representing Lowell, Eilee Deniston representing Miami County, Shannon Isenberg representing Montgomery County, Sophie Cassell representing Plainfield, Sanja Kirova representing Portage, Grace Gliva representing Tri-West, Abigail Powell representing Triton, and Leah Bechtold representing Whitley County
What is Distinguished Young Women?
Founded in 1958 in Mobile, Alabama, Distinguished Young Women is the largest and oldest national scholarship program for high school girls.
The program combines the chance to win college scholarships with a program that offers life skills training to prepare young women for the world after high school. Each year, it makes more than $1.5 billion in scholarships available, and it costs nothing to enter.
The program takes place in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., with some states also having local programs. Young women participate in either their junior or senior year of high school. In Indiana, it’s open to high school seniors.
Each program evaluates participants in the following categories: scholastics (25 percent), interview (25 percent), talent (20 percent), fitness (15 percent) and self-expression (15 percent). Local program winners advance to the state level. All state winners participate in the national finals in Mobile, Alabama, in June.
The life skills program includes workshops and online resources that allow participants to learn skills like interviewing, public speaking, self-confidence building and more.
Previously known as America’s Junior Miss, the program announced its new name in June 2010.
The program has been offered at Triton for 55 years.
