Distinguished Young Women’s is the oldest and largest national scholarship program for senior girls. The program offers more than scholarships for these girls; it offers life skills such as public speaking and interviews. The program is free to be involved in and scored based on scholastics, interview, talent, fitness and self-expression. The program offers more than just these skills, as the girls go through a variety of workshops during preparation.
This year’s new distinguished woman of Cass County is senior Elizabeth Foster.
“When they announced the category awards, I wasn’t sure who would win because almost every category was won by a different participant,” Foster said. “I was definitely just ready to know because prior to the awards, the judges had been discussing the results for almost an hour. The moment when they announced me as the winner felt like relief and also excitement. I was definitely shocked just because I knew that I could’ve performed better, and all of the girls were so amazing.”
Though some of the workshops aren’t based on the scored parts, many of them are for teaching interview skills and mock interviews or to practice the fitness routine over and over to prepare the girls for competition.
“A lot of people don’t realize that we do things beyond the program,” Foster said. “The workshops leading up to the program were really good for learning about real-life skills. My favorite one was the workshop on domestic violence and safety because the issue is very relevant for women our age.”
The girl had workshops to prepare for all areas of competition. They learn the fitness routine, practice their on-stage question, mock interview, sort through clothing to have the perfect wardrobe, rehearse talent, and so much more.
“Out of all of the categories, I was probably least nervous for the interview,” Foster said. “I knew that there was nothing I could do to know what the judges were going to ask. Being relaxed in the interview is super important, so I tried not to freak myself out.”
That day, they met in the morning for interviews, before preparing for the competition in the evening. Each interview was with a panel of judges for 10 minutes.
“Some of the questions in the interview threw me,” Foster said. “No matter how much you prepare, the judges can pull a question out of seemingly nowhere. However, the interview went a lot quicker than anticipated, and I was able to make the judges laugh a lot. So, I felt pretty confident. After the interview, things started to get real. I was surprisingly a lot calmer than I normally am for on-stage performances. I think it was because all of the girls I competed with were going through the same thing, so we were able to support each other.”
The girls then compete on stage that evening in the rest of the categories. After that, the judges deliberated and came back for awards, that’s when Foster was announced as the new Distinguished Young Women of Cass County. Foster enjoyed this program and encourages other girls to participate.
“My favorite part of the program was the community of young women that I met and grew closer to,” Foster said. “Being able to go through this wonderful program with so many amazing girls made a huge impact on me, and I couldn’t be prouder of being a part of that group. I would encourage any junior girls interested to participate in the program next year, even if you don’t have performance experience. The program pushed me to grow and step out of my comfort zone, which is super important when transitioning into adulthood. It also made a huge impact on my confidence and helped me build relationships.”
