Distinguished Young Women of Maryland

Distinguished Young Women of Maryland A national scholarship program for outstanding college bound young women. Apply as a JUNIOR in high school.

Founded in 1958, Distinguished Young Women is a free program that encourages participants to reach their full individual potential. Our mission is to empower young women by providing over $1 billion in scholarship opportunities, developing their self-confidence in a positive peer environment and participating in our Life Skills Workshops that prepare them for success after high school.

Thank you notes may be a lost art—but not for our participants!In one of our life skills workshops, they learned how to ...
08/02/2025

Thank you notes may be a lost art—but not for our participants!

In one of our life skills workshops, they learned how to write heartfelt, meaningful notes of gratitude to the volunteers, sponsors, and mentors who make this program possible. Thoughtful words matter—and a proper thank you is on the way!

Ps. The thank you notes I received made me cry. I didn’t expect to get anything and what these participants wrote to me, brought me to tears.

So proud of all these amazing ladies!
07/28/2025

So proud of all these amazing ladies!

What an amazing week! We wrapped up Distinguished Young Women of Maryland with a fantastic Final Showcase at Frederick C...
07/27/2025

What an amazing week! We wrapped up Distinguished Young Women of Maryland with a fantastic Final Showcase at Frederick Community College. All 21 participants shined on stage, sharing their talent, fitness, and self-expression.

Congratulations to **Sophia Campbell**, our Distinguished Young Woman of Maryland for 2026! She captivated us with a stunning ballet en pointe and won both **Scholastics** and **Self-Expression**. She’ll represent Maryland at Nationals in Mobile, Alabama next summer.

Additional honors include:

* **Talent & Interview:** Michelle Osae-Addo
* **Fitness:** Elianna Milliken
* **Scholastics:** Sophia Campbell
* **Spirit of Junior Miss Award:** Sian Thigpen
* **1st Runner-Up:** Michelle Osae-Addo

Over $11,000 in cash scholarships were awarded, plus every participant earned a half-tuition scholarship to Hood College!

We’re so proud of these young women. This week was more than a competition—it built lifelong friendships and a sisterhood to last a lifetime.

.distinguishedyw .atlarge_distinguishedyw .ade .dances .fai_

🎉 Distinguished Young Women of Maryland ShowcaseWhat an unforgettable week it has been! We wrapped up our incredible pro...
07/27/2025

🎉 Distinguished Young Women of Maryland Showcase

What an unforgettable week it has been! We wrapped up our incredible program with a stunning Final Showcase held at Frederick Community College, where all 21 of our outstanding participants wowed the audience with their talent, fitness, and self-expression performances. These young women demonstrated grace, strength, and confidence on stage, while their interview and scholastic achievements were evaluated earlier in the week.

✨ The energy was electric as the show opened with a fun and vibrant opening number. Thank you to the amazing Faith Harrison for choreographing such a joyful and dynamic routine that set the perfect tone for the night!

We are proud to announce Sophia Campbell as Distinguished Young Woman of Maryland!! Sophia captivated us all with a breathtaking ballet en pointe performance She will represent Maryland through her senior year in high school and next summer at the National Program in Mobile, Alabama Distinguished Young Women

Our esteemed panel of judges faced the difficult task of choosing winners from this incredible group of well-deserving participants. Each young woman brought something unique and inspiring to the stage, and we could not be prouder of them all.

🌟 **Category Winners:**

* Scholastics: Sophia Campbell $500
* Talent: Michelle Asae-Addo $500
* Interview: Michelle Asae-Addo $500
* Fitness: Elianna Milliken $500
* Self-Expression: Sophia Campbell $500
* Spirit Award: Sian Thigpen $250

🏆 **Final Results:**

* 1st Runner-Up: Michelle Asae-Addo $2500
* Distinguished Young Woman of Maryland 2026: Sophia Campbell $5000

💰 Over $11,000 in cash scholarships was awarded, along with in-kind college scholarships for every participant. And just for participating, each young woman earned a half-tuition scholarship to Hood College and over 100 other universities around the country

Beyond the awards and scholarships, these young women are now part of a **lifelong sisterhood**—a bond built on shared experiences, support, and personal growth. This is more than a competition; it’s a launching pad for future leaders and changemakers.

We are so proud of the Class of 2026 and can’t wait to see where their talents, drive, and determination take them. The future is bright!

✨ DYW Maryland Day 3 Recap Life Skills, Laughs, and LOTS of Thank You Notes! ✨The experience just keeps getting better… ...
07/25/2025

✨ DYW Maryland Day 3 Recap

Life Skills, Laughs, and LOTS of Thank You Notes! ✨
The experience just keeps getting better…
We kicked off the day with a lesson in writing the perfect thank you note—a lost art! After battling through carpal tunnel (100+notes later!), the girls headed outside for a hands-on car care workshop with Laurel Carvana from Churchill Auto Care. 🛠️🚗
They learned to:
�🔋 Jumpstart a car
�⛽ Check oil levels & tire pressure
�⚠️ Decode those mysterious dashboard lights!
Let’s just say… no warning light will be ignored again!

After a delicious lunch, it was time to rehearse, rehearse, rehearse—and prepare for their mock interviews🎤 Each participant had a practice run to get ready for tomorrow’s private 10-minute interview with a panel of five judges. (That’s 25% of their total score)
Talk about real-world prep!

The evening? Chipotle, s’mores, and games—because after a long day, these girls earned some FUN.

We’re winding down with movies and laughter tonight because tomorrow’s a big one: interviews + our first dress rehearsal! 🎭
Wish them luck—you’re going to be blown away by these amazing young women! 💫

07/25/2025

✨ DYW Maryland Day 3 Recap
Life Skills, Laughs, and LOTS of Thank You Notes! ✨
The experience just keeps getting better…
We kicked off the day with a lesson in writing the perfect thank you note—a lost art! After battling through carpal tunnel (100+notes later!), the girls headed outside for a hands-on car care workshop with Laurel Carvana from Churchill Auto Care. 🛠️🚗
They learned to:�🔋 Jumpstart a car�⛽ Check oil levels & tire pressure�⚠️ Decode those mysterious dashboard lights!
Let’s just say… no warning light will be ignored again!

After a delicious lunch, it was time to rehearse, rehearse, rehearse—and prepare for their mock interviews🎤 Each participant had a practice run to get ready for tomorrow’s private 10-minute interview with a panel of five judges. (That’s 25% of their total score) Talk about real-world prep!
The evening? Chipotle, s’mores, and games—because after a long day, these girls earned some FUN.

We’re winding down with movies and laughter tonight because tomorrow’s a big one: interviews + our first dress rehearsal! 🎭
Wish them luck—you’re going to be blown away by these amazing young women! 💫

Distinguished Young Women Churchill Auto Care - Auto Repair Anna Meredith Distinguished Young Women of Southern Maryland Distinguished Young Women of MD At-Large Program

🌟 DYW Maryland Day 2 Recap! 🌟We kicked off the morning with our first life skills workshop led by Alex Kelly of RS Will ...
07/24/2025

🌟 DYW Maryland Day 2 Recap! 🌟
We kicked off the morning with our first life skills workshop led by Alex Kelly of RS Will Wealth Management. 💼💰 From investments to student loans, credit cards, and saving for the future—these young women are now armed with smart financial know-how for life!

Next up, our participants wrapped up their Be Your Best Self presentations before heading over to the YMCA to meet with local campers. 💚 The campers LOVED learning about our five pillars:
💪 Be Healthy | 🎯 Be Ambitious | 👐 Be Involved | ✅ Be Responsible | 📚 Be Studious
Inspiring the next generation? ✔️

Then it was time to explore downtown Frederick! 🛍️💕 We shopped, laughed, sipped bubble teas, and enjoyed a delicious dinner at Bentzown.
But we didn’t stop there… 💃 Off to Salsa Dancing on the Creek where our girls lit up the dance floor!

To end the night: ice cream 🍦, a movie 🎥, and hopefully… sleep 😴 (fingers crossed!) because tomorrow? Another amazing day awaits.
Stay tuned for more laughter, life skills, and memories in the making! 💫

.ade

🌟 DYW Maryland Day 2 Recap! 🌟We kicked off the morning with our first life skills workshop led by Alex Kelly of RS Will ...
07/24/2025

🌟 DYW Maryland Day 2 Recap! 🌟

We kicked off the morning with our first life skills workshop led by Alex Kelly of RS Will Wealth Management. 💼💰 From investments to student loans, credit cards, and saving for the future—these young women are now armed with smart financial know-how for life!

Next up, our participants wrapped up their Be Your Best Self presentations before heading over to the YMCA to meet with local campers. 💚 The campers LOVED learning about our five pillars:💪 Be Healthy | 🎯 Be Ambitious | 👐 Be Involved | ✅ Be Responsible | 📚 Be Studious
Inspiring the next generation? ✔️

Then it was time to explore downtown Frederick! 🛍️💕 We shopped, laughed, sipped bubble teas, and enjoyed a delicious dinner at Bentzown.

But we didn’t stop there… 💃 Off to Salsa Dancing on the Creek where our girls lit up the dance floor!
To end the night: ice cream 🍦, a movie 🎥, and hopefully… sleep 😴 (fingers crossed!) because tomorrow? Another amazing day awaits.

Stay tuned for more laughter, life skills, and memories in the making! 💫
Friends of Distinguished Young Women of Maryland Distinguished Young Women of Southern Maryland Scholarship Program Distinguished Young Women of Music City Distinguished Young Women Anna Meredith Bentztown Downtown Frederick Partnership Visit Frederick - Maryland

🎉Day One Recap – Distinguished Young Women of Maryland Welcome the Class of 2026!We had an incredible start to our week!...
07/24/2025

🎉Day One Recap – Distinguished Young Women of Maryland

Welcome the Class of 2026!

We had an incredible start to our week! Our 21 participants arrived from all across Maryland this morning, said their goodbyes to family, and quickly jumped into a full day of connection, confidence-building, and fun.

We began with a life-changing life skills workshop from Bridget O’Brien, who spoke about reframing failure as a path to success—a message that resonated deeply with these high-achieving young women.

From there, we explored the stunning campus of Hood College, our steadfast sponsor and partner. Hood generously offers a four-year tuition scholarship to every participant and a full scholarship to the next Distinguished Young Woman of Maryland. What an incredible gift!

In the afternoon, it was time to relax and reset. We changed into comfy clothes and met with Kelly Jarvis from Fit2Shine, who led the group through yoga and grounding exercises. She reminded us to breathe, be present, and move our bodies to relieve stress. Her impact is always lasting and meaningful.

Then it was pizza, pool time, and a mini fashion show! Thanks to generous donations, every girl who needed an interview suit or talent dress found something beautiful to wear—with lots of ooooh's and aaaah's.
We ended the evening with a surprise trip to Starbucks (the reactions were priceless) and we’re not done yet—it’s only 8:30 PM!
To all the parents: thank you for trusting us with your daughters. They are thriving in every way, and we’re honored to have them here. More updates to come soon—stay tuned for photos!

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Frederick, MD

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