Arizona teen named Distinguished Young Woman 2022; Alabama teen is first runner-up

Katelyn Cai of Scottsdale, Arizona, was named Distinguished Younger Girl 2022 on Saturday throughout an occasion on the Cellular Civic Middle. Julianne Abenoja of Birmingham, Alabama, was named first runner-up.

Cai, who’ll be a freshman at Duke College this fall, earned a $40,000 scholarship together with this yr’s title. She plans a profession as a public servant and legislator, and is an intern this summer season on the U.S. Senate, in keeping with her LinkedIn profile.

Cai acquired different scholarship cash on the competitors, together with a $1,000 interview award and a $1,000 scholastic award.

Distinguished Younger Ladies, previously referred to as America’s Junior Miss, is a nonprofit group based in 1958 in Cellular. Highschool women compete in native and state applications annually, and winners from every state transfer on to the nationwide finals. Members are evaluated within the following classes: scholastics (25 %), interview (25 %), expertise (20 %), health (15 %) and self expression (15 %).

Cai carried out a recent dance routine set to “This Girl’s Work,” by Kate Bush in the course of the expertise portion of the competitors.

Cai is the co-president and co-founder of Put money into Her, a nonprofit “devoted to empowering the subsequent era of feminine leaders and economists,” in keeping with its web site.

“Katelyn Cai is obsessed with girls’s rights, politics, and speech and debate,” the Put money into Her web site says. “In her free time, you possibly can catch her studying the information or operating along with her pet Stella!”

She’ll be a part of the Robertson Students Management Program at Duke and the College of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in keeping with LinkedIn.

Abenoja, a 2022 graduate of Mountain Brook Excessive College, earned a $20,000 scholarship as first runner-up. She additionally acquired $1,000 scholarship awards for expertise and health throughout preliminary competitions.

Abenoja plans to attend the School of William & Mary in Virginia. Her profession purpose is to be a neurologist and neurosurgeon. She has a protracted record of achievements posted on the Distinguished Younger Ladies web site, together with honor societies, group service actions and youth management applications.

Within the expertise portion of Distinguished Younger Girl, Abenoja danced a ballet solo en pointe routine to a “Gaîté Parisienne” adaptation by Angela Walker. She has participated in Birmingham Dance Theatre for 15 years.

Cynthia Lu from Wisconsin got here in third (also referred to as second runner-up) and earned a $15,000 scholarship on the competitors. Isabel Xue from Massachusetts took fourth place (or third runner-up) and acquired a $10,000 scholarship. Avia Weber of Pennsylvania acquired a $2,000 Pleasure Mitchell Grodnick Spirit Award.

Distinguished Younger Ladies 2022: Meet 50 individuals heading to the finals