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Arts & Entertainment

Putting Their Best Foot Forward

High school juniors competed for scholarships and gained life skills at the Distinguished Young Women state competition.

It's not a beauty pageant, but the high school juniors did have to show poise under pressure answering questions and performing on stage.

Thirteen area students competed Saturday at theΒ Distinguished Young Women’sΒ 54thΒ Annual State Competition, held at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center.

The competitors included six young women who live in Patch.com sites:Β Abby Rufer of Brookfield, Amy Walsh of Sussex, Becca Richter of Waukesha, CeCi Scheuber of Menomonee Falls, Gina Miliacca of Oak Creek, and Sarah Creegan of Elm Grove.

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But winning the top spot was Jeanette Morelan of Racine, who was selected to serve as the 2012 Distinguished Young Woman of Wisconsin, winning a $3,500 scholarship plus $1,000 in additional awards.

Founded in 1958 in Mobile, Ala., Distinguished Young Women touts itself as the largest and oldest national scholarship program for high school girls, having provided more than than 700,000 young women with more than $93 million in cash scholarships.

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It previously was known as Jr. Miss, but the national office decided to change the name in 2010 to direct the program away from the connotations of being a beauty pageant.

β€œThe young women are not given crowns or banners, but they earn a medallion. They are judged about inner, not outer beauty,” said Sue Herman, state chairperson.

The young women competing pointed out there is no swimsuit competition, and they do not get points for beauty.

Each of the 13 participants were district or at-large winners in their regional areas.Β They competed in five categories showcasing their public speaking, poise, personality, self-confidence and knowledge.

β€œBefore the on-stage portion, each of the participants interviewed with our judges,” said Ellen Linnihan, the Brookfield and Elm Grove district chairperson. β€œQuestions from the judges were based on the interests of the young women, such as people they admire, what they would change about their generation, or activities and public service projects they are involved in.”

Fifty-five percent of their final state competition score was based on their on-stage performance on Saturday, which included talent, fitness, and self-expression.

For the self-expression portion, the young women wearing formal dresses showed their composure in the spotlight of the stage as they answered the question: β€œHow has a trial in your life helped you to become a better person?”

In Wisconsin about 60 young women participate in the program annually. Winners receive scholarship awards, and one gets the chance to compete at the National Finals competition in Alabama in June 2012.

In addition to Morelan being selected to represent Wisconsin in Alabama, many other awards and scholarships were handed out Saturday, including:

  • Karlee Nimmer of Kewaunee received a $1,250 scholarship for being the first runner-upΒ 
  • Abby Rufer of Brookfield received $750 for being the second runner-up and was also awarded one of the Mary Crist Memorial Scholastics Awards ($250) and one of the Fitness Awards ($150)
  • Gina Miliacca of Oak Creek was awarded the other Fitness Award ($150)
  • Sarah Creegan of Elm Grove was awarded the Linda Bichler Memorial Spirit Award ($250)

Not only do the young women benefit from the scholarship awards, they also become more skilled at self-presentation.

β€œSelf confidence and public speaking skills are probably the greatest gain the young women make as part of this program. This gives them a distinct advantage,” Linnihan said.

Walsh, the junior from Sussex, said, β€œThrough this program I have gained friendships, interview skills, stage presence, poise and confidence.” 

Since the beginning of the year, Walsh and the other juniors also enjoyed participating in Be Your Best Self, a community service program that is part of Distinguished Young Women.

They performed their talents at a Rotary Club and nursing home; sold raffle tickets and operated the dunk tank at Franklin’s Night Out; and made paper fortune tellers and gave encouragement to youth at the Boys and Girls Club and a Girl Scouts troop.

For more information about Distinguished Young Women of Wisconsin, see their website and Facebook page, which also has large photo galleries from the weeklong events that culminated in Saturday's competition.

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