Scholarship program empowers young women
FRANKLIN, Wis. - Soon-to-be high school seniors will come together in Franklin on Saturday, Aug. 12 for the chance to win $20,000 in college scholarships. But the Distinguished Young Women Program is about so much more than money.
Brookfield's Erin Hu found that out first-hand.
The incoming freshman at Yale University is getting ready to travel to New Haven, Connecticut to begin her studies in neuroscience and global affairs as a member of the Class of 2027.
Erin says she'll step foot on campus a different person than who she was a year ago.
"I just think I’m more content and happier," explains Hu.
The quiet confidence that comes with truly knowing yourself is a quality she attributes to Distinguished Young Women (DYW).
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Previously known as the Junior Miss Pageant, Distinguished Young Women is a national scholarship program that’s been inspiring young women to go to college for decades and giving them the resources they need to get there.
For the last year, Erin has served as the representative from Wisconsin after winning at the state level in 2022.
Even for this gifted pianist, Hu says the 90-second talent portion felt like an eternity.
"For me, playing piano for DYW was the most nerve wracking part," says Hu. "I would focus on micromanaging each single measure."
A feeling of performance anxiety became a teachable moment for this academic rock star who makes hard work look easy.
"It’s shown me how good it is to be uncomfortable sometimes," she says.
Chairperson Meg Sranske says that's the point of Distinguished Young Women, it's about the whole person.
"A lot of the young ladies that come in have something that they’re really good at, but they probably have something that they’re maybe not as comfortable with," says Sranske.
For Erin that was talent, but for others it could be the interview, fitness, or self-expression portion of the program.
For all of them, the process of competing at the local level, moving on to state, and for one, nationals in Alabama is an opportunity to grow into the very best version of themselves through workshops, meetings with community leaders, and public appearances.
Sranske explains the diversity of the group of girls.
"I find that it's just as interesting to have someone who is shy but incredibly intelligent, to have someone else who is really great at talent and really boisterous," said Sranske.
Every year tens of thousands of dollars in college money is awarded, but the experience is what’s invaluable.
"You see these women blossom. I tell parents at orientation that the young lady they see now is not who they will see on stage and that is because a transformation takes place," says Sranske, who experienced that transformation first hand as the representative from Pennsylvania in 1985.
Other alums include broadcast journalist Diane Sawyer, Inside Edition host Deborah Norville, and actress Debra Messing.
After this weekend, Erin Hu will join that alumnae list, passing the baton as another girl becomes the representative from Wisconsin.
"What I've learned over the past year is hard work pays off and as long as I put my best foot forward, everything is going to be ok," says Hu, who competed at the national competition in June.
She placed 8th and brought home $13,000 in scholarship money.
There are colleges and universities that offer scholarships money to girls just for participating.
If FOX6 viewers have a daughter going into her junior year of high school, they can apply for Distinguished Young Women now!
It’s free to enter. The deadline to sign up is Dec. 31.