Mountain Brook graduate to compete in Distinguished Young Women finals
Julianne Abenoja of Mountain Brook will be representing Alabama in the the 65th DYF Finals. Abenoja, along with 49 other state representatives, has been in Mobile for the past two weeks participating in community activities and preparing for the national scholarship competition.
Thursday, June 23 marks the start of live showcases the Distinguished Young Women Finals.
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 program’s evaluation process includes scholastics, 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 represent the program as the Distinguished Young Woman of America for 2022. Over the three-night event, all 50 will compete for a share of over $150,000 dollars in total 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 & Communications Director for Distinguished Young Women