MOBILE, AL – Susannah Cowley of Phoenix, Arizona will travel to Mobile, Ala. on Sunday, June 18 to participate in the 60th Distinguished Young Women National Finals to be held June 29, 30 and July 1 at the Mobile Civic Center Theater. Cowley is one of 51 representatives competing for thousands of dollars in cash scholarships and the opportunity to represent the program as the Distinguished Young Woman of America for 2017.
Following her selection as the Distinguished Young Woman of Arizona, Cowley began preparations for the National Finals competition, which will include five categories of evaluation: scholastics (25%), interview (25%), fitness (15%), talent (20%) and self-expression (15%). During her two weeks in Mobile, Cowley will participate in team building activities, complete community service projects, interact with the Gulf Coast community through various events and engage in many hours of rehearsal in preparation for the three-night scholarship competition.
“These young women have shown a work ethic and demonstrated commitment to being leaders in the areas of scholarship, leadership and talent,” said Kendra Haskins, Executive Director for Distinguished Young Women. “We know the future is in good hands with these dedicated young ladies.”
If selected as the program’s overall winner, Cowley will spend the next year representing Distinguished Young Women across the country through various appearances and promoting the program’s national outreach initiative of “Be Your Best Self.” The outreach program is designed to combat major issues facing children today including childhood obesity and high school drop out rates, as well as encourage young people to take an active interest in their communities through service. The outreach program consists of five elements – Be Healthy, Be Involved, Be Studious, Be Ambitious and Be Responsible.
Cowley is a 2017 graduate of Desert Vista and the daughter of Matt and Andrea Cowley.
To view the live webcast of the Distinguished Young Women National Finals, visit www.DistinguishedYW.org on Thursday – Sat., June 29 – July 1 at 7:00 p.m. CST. To see photos of participants during their time in Mobile, visit www.fpvision.com.
About Distinguished Young Women:
Founded in 1958 in Mobile, Alabama, Distinguished Young Women is the largest and oldest national scholarship program for high school girls. During its 60 years of operation, the program has provided life-changing experiences for more than 745,000 young women. Distinguished Young Women has provided more than $104 million in cash scholarships and $1.1 billion college granted scholarship opportunities annually to program participants at the local, state and national level. Previously known as America’s Junior Miss, the program announced its new name in June 2010.
The mission of Distinguished Young Women is to positively impact the lives of young women by providing a transformative experience that promotes and rewards scholarship, leadership and talent. National sponsors include Mobile County, City of Mobile, Wintzell’s Oyster House, Encore Rehabilitation, Alabama Power Foundation, Master Boat Builders, Barbara Barrington Jones Family Foundation, Regions Financial Corporation, Evonik and Alabama Media Group.
For more information about Distinguished Young Women, contact Amelia Jacobs, National Headquarters Communications Director 251.438.3621, [email protected] or visit www.DistinguishedYW.org. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
The official Distinguished Young Women hash tag for the 60th National Finals is #DYW2017.
