Photo courtesy of Distinguished Young Women program
Mountain Brook High School graduate Julianne Abenoja is representing Alabama in the 2022 national Distinguished Young Women competition in Mobil, Alabama.
Julianne Abenoja of Mountain Brook this week is representing Alabama in the national Distinguished Young Women competition in Mobile.
Abenoja has been in the coastal city the past two weeks along with 49 other state representatives, participating in community activities and preparing for the national scholarship competition. The competition actually begins Thursday, June 23.
For her talent presentation, Abenoja will perform “Gaîté Parisienne” as a ballet solo en pointe. Abenoja is a 2022 graduate of Mountain Brook High School and the daughter of Christine and Alex Abenoja.
The Distinguished Young Women program’s evaluation process includes scholastics, an interview, fitness, talent and self-expression. During the preliminary competitions Thursday and Friday, each participant will compete in the categories of self-expression, fitness and talent.
Abenoja has completed an individual interview with a panel of five judges, and her scholastic performance has been scored through an evaluation process of her high school academic record and standardized test scores.
On Saturday, June 25, eight finalists will be selected from the group of 50 young women and will compete for the opportunity to become the Distinguished Young Woman of America for 2022. Over the three-night event, all 50 will compete for a share of over $150,000 in cash scholarships.
“The power of our youth is strong, and these 50 state representatives are the embodiment of that,” said Kendra Haskins, executive director of Distinguished Young Women. “We are excited to highlight Distinguished Young Women this weekend by highlighting these participants and celebrating the thousands of others who have been impacted by this incredible program throughout the year.”
Abenoja will be attending College of William and Mary this fall and hopes to pursue a career as a neurologist and neurosurgeon.
For ticket and live webcast information, visit DYWNationalFinals.com.
--Submitted by Tara Principe, marketing and communications director for Distinguished Young Women
