Bailey Gregory will represent Winston County this summer in state competition in Meridian upon being named the 2020 Distinguished Young Woman of WinstonCounty during the program’s main event this past Saturday night.
Gregory is a junior at Nanih Waiya Attendance Center. She is the daughter of Kevin and Nicole Gregory.
After winning the coveted honor of DYW her work is just beginning as Gregory will start preparations to compete in the statewide DYW event in Meridian in July.
Upon her being announced as the winner, Gregory was presented with flowers, a plaque and the DYW medallion she will wear for the next year.
The title that Gregory now holds carries scholarships from a number of colleges and universities.
Among the individual awards, Gregory also won the interview and talent awards. As her talent, she performed "Maple Leaf Rag" by Scott Joplin on the piano.
Magdelyn Claire Kirk was named First Alternate. She is a junior at Winston Academy. She is the daughter of Melanie and Kiley Kirk. For her talent, she performed a tumbling/dancing routine to "Rather Be" by Pentatonix. Kirk also earned the Physical Fitness award and the Spirit of DYW award. As first alternate, Kirk also earned college scholarships.
Addy Suzanne Webb earned second Alternate. She is the daughter of James Robert and Susan Webb. She is a junior at Noxapater Attendance Center. Addy performed Sonata No. 14, "Moonlight" 3rd Movement for her talent. She also earned scholarships as part of the event.
Cheyenne Summer Thrash earned the Be Your Best Self Essay Award. Her parents are Melisa and Jimmy Todd Thrash. She is a junior at Noxapater Attendance Center.
The Distinguished Young Women of Winston County program was held at Louisville High Auditorium.
The program included an introduction of the six contestants participating, introduction of judges, the self-expression category, talent competition and physical fitness category. In addition to entertainment between categories, activities included the farewell speech by 2019 DYW winner.
Each title is dated for the following year of selection as the national competition for the new year will be held in June 2020.
The contestants received their scores from 25 percent from an interview with judges, 20 percent for scholastic achievement, 25 percent for talent, 15 percent for fitness and 15 percent for self-expression.
The contestants have worked for several weeks on choreography, mock interviews, poise and talent in preparation for the program.
Award scholarships were made possible by local businesses and individuals including past title winners. The committee appreciates the continued support from Winston County businesses and individuals.
The Distinguished Young Women experience is open to every eligible young woman and there is no cost to participate.
Distinguished Young Women of Mississippi is an official state preliminary of Distinguished Young Women, a national scholarship program, formerly known as Junior Miss, that promotes and rewards scholarship, leadership and talent in young women.
Founded in 1958, DYW is the largest and oldest national scholarship program for high school girls. Each program evaluates participants in the categories of scholastics, interview, talent, fitness and self-expression. Local program winners advance to the state level and all state winners participate in the National Finals held in Mobile, Ala., the summer after they graduate from high school.
In addition to earning scholarships, the girls participate in a life skills program that includes workshops and online resources. Participants can learn skills like interviewing, public speaking, self-confidence building and more to prepare for the program and for the world after high school and college.
For more information on DYW, visit the website at www.distinguishedyw.org
