Othello Distinguished Young Women Program Saturday

OTHELLO — With the introduction of the fifth and final contestant, the field is set for this Saturday’s Othello Distinguished Young Women Program.

The Othello DYW Program will be staged at the McFarland Middle School. It will get underway at 7 p.m.

The fifth contestant is Janey Zapata, daughter of Juana and Arnoldo Zapata. She plans to start studies toward a career in medicine at Eastern Washington University. She will perform a clarinet solo.

“I would like to be the DYW of Othello because it would be a great adventure with my community,” she said.

The program’s five judges will be from out of town. They are Tamara Campbell from Basin City, Sarah Chapman from Pullman, Keith Cochran from Chewelah, Sara Cochran from Chewelah and Teresa Gledhill from Basin City.

The DYW is the old America’s Junior Miss program with refinements. Founded in 1957, the Junior Miss program was a nationwide scholarship program that successfully opened the door of opportunity for many young women.

It conducted its first national finals in 1958 and is now the oldest and largest scholarship program for high school seniors in the United States. It is conducted on the local, state and national levels and allows thousands of outstanding young women to participate each year and compete for millions of dollars available in scholarship to further their education.

Several years ago the name of the Junior Miss Program was changed to Distinguished Young Women. This year it will celebrate the 60th national finals in Mobile, Ala.

The Junior Miss Program in Othello was around for many years but stopped in the early 2000s. Then, in 2013, it was restarted with its new name, Distinguished Young Women.

“We have had a successful program each year since restarting, and look forward to many more successful programs helping young women in our community to grow, be their best self and offer opportunities to earn scholarships to further their education,” program director Emily Bass said.

Bass works with a board of directors that includes President Renee Jensen, Raun Jensen, Debbie Haworth, Loraine Walker, Shawna Scorup, Marth Logan, Bass, Jordelle Lovell and Celia Hesselroth.

“The Othello DYW Program is supported by a long list of businesses and individuals who graciously donate to our scholarship fund every year, and some new sponsors this year,” Bass said.

“Some choose to sponsor particular awards and others donate to the general scholarship fund. We are so grateful to all of our sponsors for their support and generosity.”