Distinguished Young Women Application Advice

A few people have reached out for advice regarding this scholarship program. Distinguished Young Women (DYW) was unlike any other scholarship I applied to, and that made it a really special experience. 

The competition is based around the five pillars of the Be Your Best Self philosophy: Be healthy, be ambitious, be involved, be responsible, and be studious.* To be successful in DYW, you have to be able to do more than just write essays. They expect a certain caliber of public speaking skills, "talent," and even athletics. 

I'll be the first to admit that athletics is not my strong suit (during the "fitness" routine, I clapped when I wasn't supposed to -- I'm sure you can imagine that embarrassment, haha). It's important to spend time improving upon your weaknesses and perfecting your routines. I also learned that laughing at my mistakes is a great way to focus on the learning process instead of the results or competitiveness of any given event. I went into DYW States hoping to make friends and learn from those around me instead of being solely focused on winning, and that helped make the experience so amazing. Definitely go in with an open mind! 

If you want extra examples of any of the components, there are tons of YouTube videos for the components (especially since they film the routines Nationals). I also uploaded my County event Self-Expression speech below.

*We had to memorize these at States, and a good way to remember them is as the five H.A.I.R.S.

DYW Competition Elements

Travel Tips

At least in FL, they has us stay with local families. Remember that you area a guest in their house, and it is of upmost importance to be respectful to them, their values, and their routines. It is a huge privilege that they are opening their homes up to you! 

You will also have a roommate -- this is an awesome chance to get to know someone else from your class! My roommate and I prepared for the competition together; I helped her with her self-expression speech, she helped me learn my fitness routine, we helped each other with pre-interview nerves, and we did our makeup together. It was awesome to go through the intimidating bits of competition with someone else, and I absolutely recommend making friends as you compete. 

DYW Interviews

Most interviews are designed to help the interviewers get to know you -- that is not the case here. DYW interviews are unique in that they test not only your composure & poise, but your knowledge of global politics and the world around you. After participating in multiple DYW interviews then judging mock-interviews, here are some of my tips:

• The questions will get extremely political

  • To prepare for this, stay caught-up on current events and think critically about what is going on in the world; what is the US doing right, and what aspects could it improve upon? 

  • The judges should not dock points based on your opinion, so know that you can express yourself and your views freely 

    • These questions are meant to test your awareness and composure, not your political beliefs 

  • If you are asked about an event you are unfamiliar with, answer the question based on what you know (never "break character") 

• If one of the questions involves a word you do not know, take a second to think about the context then answer the question based on what you do know 

  • Do not "break character" to ask what the word means 

• Connect your responses to each other and to global topics

  • You can reference previous questions/answers in your responses

    • This demonstrates that you're paying attention to the concepts 

• Come across as confident!

  • Enunciate and speak loudly 

  • Keep good posture (see tip on how to stand below)

  • Use hand gestures 

  • Smile (as you see fit) and maintain an overall positive attitude 

  • Maintain your professionalism

    • Use the right vernacular for your context (avoid slang)

  • Avoid starting your answers with phrases like "I believe" or "I think"

• Take time to think through your answers

  • Some options to buy yourself time

    • Swallow

    • Start your answer by restating part of the question (but avoid doing this too often) 

    • Comment on the question ("That is a great question...")

• There will be multiple judges; when answering a question, start by looking at the one who asked the question then shift your gaze between the judges and end by returning to the one who asked you the question

• If you are asked a question that could link to a topic you are passionate about, take that as an opportunity to talk about your connection to the topic!

Other

Whenever you are not actively moving on-stage (in any facet of the competition), there is a special "stance" I was taught. It helps you distribute your weight comfortably and keep a good posture!

Stand with your feet in a "V" shape, then move the heel of one foot to the middle of another.

My DYW Experience: Gallery