Oglesby and Fail win Distinguished Young Women
BY BRUCE BRANUM
The Greenville Standard
This past Saturday evening at Greenville’s historic Ritz Theatre, six of the best and brightest young women from two counties that are about to begin their senior year in high school vied for the title of Distinguished Young Woman (DYW) for 2020.
Lowndes County winner Helen Oglesby attends Lowndes Academy and plans to become an orthodontist. Her college of choice is Auburn University. She is active in cheer, basketball, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Diamond Dolls and an Alabama Senate Page.
She also enjoys baking, watching Auburn football and basketball, going to the beach, spending time with family and attending Hayneville Baptist Church.
Butler County winner Hayden Fail attends Fort Dale Academy (FDA) and plans to become a nurse anesthetist. Her college of choice is the University of Alabama. She is active in cheer, tennis, basketball, track, dance, Frazier United Methodist Church Youth Group and is a Studio Panache Ambassador.
The winners from the two counties will go on to vie for additional scholarship money and the title of Alabama’s Distinguished Young Woman in early 2020.
The six contestants were Hannah Sells and Hayden Fail from FDA, Bethany Ann Odom from McKenzie High and Malaysia Smith from Greenville High; from Lowndes County, Addie Hampton and Helen Oglesby, both students at Lowndes Academy.
Hannah Sells was the Butler County DYW first runner-up and Addie Hampton was first runner-up for Lowndes County DYW.
DYW winners will receive a $2,000 cash tuition scholarship and a $500 stipend to attend the state DYW in early 2020. DYW first runner-ups receive a $1,750 cash tuition scholarship.
Distinguished Young Women is a national scholarship program that inspires high school girls to develop their full, individual potential through a fun, transformative experience. The free program has provided life changing experiences for more than 770,000 young women and more than $110 million in cash scholarships since 1958.
