7 juniors vie for Royal City's Distinguished Young Woman

ROYAL CITY — In less than two weeks, Royal City will have a reigning Distinguished Young Woman once again.

After a one-year hiatus, the Distinguished Young Women program returns for 2017 on Mar. 11 with seven junior girls vying for the title.

Contestants for this year’s program include Leslie Moreno, Hailey Moore, Denisse Arroyo, Daisy Rodriguez, Yajaira Michel, Rebecca Follett and Lizbeth Gonzalez.

Leslie is the daughter of Florentina and Imbert Moreno. For her talent, she will be doing a lyrical dance.

Hailey is the daughter of Shaw Howden and Erik Moore. She will be singing for her talent.

Denise is the daughter of Alma and Gildaro Arroyo. For her talent, she will be performing an original monologue.

Daisy is the daughter of Maria Alvarado and Isidro Rodriguez. She will be doing a vocal performance for her talent.

Yajaira is the daughter of Maria Valencia and Faustino Michel. For her talent, she will be doing a pom dance routine.

Rebecca is the daughter of Rick Follett and Leilani Follett. She will be playing the piano for her talent.

Lizbeth is the daughter of Maria Hernandez. For her talent, she will be singing.

The theme for this year’s program is “Island Paradise.” It is co-chaired by Lisa Christensen and Sabrina Christensen, with Chris Mianecki as Festivals President.

Distinguished Young Women, formerly known as Junior Miss, is a scholarship program designed to give high school junior girls an opportunity to further their education, showcase their accomplishments and inspire them to develop their full, individual potential.

During the program, contestants are assessed by a panel of five independent, outside judges in five different categories, including interview, academics, fitness, talent, and poise and appearance.

Scholarships are awarded the night of the program, and are made possible by donations to the program Christensen said. Christensen said donations are still being accepted to go toward this year’s DYW scholarships.

This year’s program will be held at Red Rock Elementary. Doors will be opened at 6:30 p.m., and the program will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at Harvest Foods or from any of the contestants. Cost for tickets is $10 if purchased before the program, or $12 at the door.