By Mia Lawson, Mom and Speech Pathologist at Sacred Heart Hospital
Public speaking, interviewing, talent, physical fitness, good grades and just “being your best self” are desired skills and values. As a Mom, I strived to encourage the development of all these skills to my daughter, Natalie. I signed her up for gymnastics, dance, soccer, softball, cheerleading and children’s theatre. I wanted her to find her strength and passion by offering her any kind of opportunity, and then allow her to choose her path. We all want the best for our children, and especially when we have girls, we want them to feel confident in their own self.
I grew up in a small town in Kentucky, and I remember an older friend of mine who entered our “Junior Miss” competition and won! She was very talented on the piano and spoke very well on and off stage. I admired her for achieving that honor. When it was time for me to think about signing up, I talked myself out of it. I didn’t think I had the talent or confidence to go through the program. But it remained in my thoughts, what if I would have tried?
When my daughter, Natalie, became a junior at Fort Walton Beach High School, I searched for the “Junior Miss” program in Okaloosa County and it came up as “Distinguished Young Woman.” I conducted a little research and this is what I found out: Distinguished Young Women, formally America’s Junior Miss, was founded in 1958 as a way to reward the accomplishments of high school junior girls seeking to pursue higher education. Over the years, the name progressed to “Distinguished Young Women” and has grown today to be the largest and oldest scholarship program of its kind. With scholarship, leadership and talent as its overarching theme, Distinguished Young Women has drawn more than 770,000 young women to compete in the program at the local, state and national levels; further, $108 million have been awarded in scholarships.
So, I quickly signed Natalie up and the rest is history! I saw my daughter and all the young ladies who were in her program thrive and achieve their own milestones. Many of these girls had never performed on stage, much less speak on stage. None of the girls had been through a formal interview process. During the practice week and the night of the program, we all saw these girls blossom in these areas. They also made friendships that will continue into adulthood!
I witnessed how this program can make an impact through my daughter Natalie’s journey. She won the Distinguished Young Woman of Okaloosa county. She then went on to win the Distinguished Young Woman of Florida and placed in the top 10 in the National competition in Mobile, Alabama. Because this program provides so many opportunities for personal growth and development, each girl becomes a stronger and more confident person. They will always be a member of the Distinguished Young Woman family.
During any of the local or state programs, the “alumni” are asked to walk on stage to be recognized. You hear about all of their accomplishments, honors and their life goals. It makes you realize that these girls are our future….and it’s certainly a bright one!
We are honored to have the state and local Distinguished Young Woman programs in Okaloosa County! You can attend and watch the Okaloosa County DYW program on July 13, 2019, and the Florida state DYW program on February 28, 2020. They are both held in the Fort Walton Beach Civic Auditorium. If you would like more information about the programs, visit www.distinguisheddyw.org.
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