According to their website, the Distinguished Young Women (DYW) nonprofit program is the largest and oldest of its type. They have been providing both scholarships and grants to high school girls across the country who are evaluated by their transcripts, personality, ability to relate to others, maturity, self-expression, talent, fitness level, and more. Since 1958, this program has allowed girls to participate in fair competition, exhibit their best qualities, and make friends along the way. Madison Stanley (’17) was one of these girls, and is advancing to the state competition.

Stanley is an exceptional girl and is definitely someone who is qualified to win the scholarship. She is currently enrolled in four AP courses along with her STI of Culinary Arts. Outside of the classroom, she participates in a variety of clubs and organizations, including Destination Imagination, Skills USA, and Unified Sports. The DYW program peaked her interest when she heard about it Cheyanne Scott (’16), who was the winner last year. Stanley participated in the regional competition with 11 contestants. She was “pushed to be [her] best self and even more, [she] grew to love the girls.” If she wins, she will use the scholarship to aid her in applying to the University of Michigan to major in kinesiology as a pre-med. undergraduate.