Two local students advance to state DYW program
Published 11:28 pm Saturday, August 20, 2016
Taylor Ellis (left), a student at Morgan Academy, will represent Perry County, and Kinsley Mott, a student at Meadowview Christian School, will represent Dallas County at next year’s 2017 Alabama Distinguished Young Women scholarship program. Mott won the Dallas County competition Saturday night. Above, the two mimic U.S. Olympians by “biting” their medallions after the program.
Local schools will be well-represented at next January’s Alabama Distinguished Young Women program.
Meadowview Christian School senior Kinsley Mott won the Dallas County scholarship competition Saturday night at the School of Discovery auditorium.
However, Morgan Academy senior Taylor Ellis will also advance representing her home of Perry County. Ellis competed alongside the Dallas County girls Saturday since there is no program in Perry County.
Mott said immediately afterward that she hadn’t fully processed what the honor means to her.
“Amazing. Overwhelmed. Was not expecting it,” is how she described her initial reaction. “I never thought I’d get it.”
Shown are the top three finalists in the 2017 Dallas County Distinguished Young Woman scholarship program. Left is first alternate Anna Catherine King, center is 2017 Distinguished Young Woman Kinsley Mott and right is second alternate Caroline Colvin. Mott will go on to compete in the state competition in January.
Mott wants to go to Auburn University to become a registered nurse. Her talent for the evening was a lyrical and contemporary dance.
Ellis plans to attend either Auburn or Troy University to study graphic design or broadcast journalism. For her talent, she sang and played the ukulele.
More than $10,000 in scholarships were award during the program, which has given out hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships just within Dallas County over the decades.
First alternate was Anna Catherine King and second alternate was Caroline Covin. Both girls are students at Morgan Academy.
The following awards were also given in no particular order.
Fitness winners were Anna Catherine King, Annie Talton and Kinsley Mott.
Self-expression winners were Anna Catherine King, Kinsley Mott and Miah Henderson.
Scholastic winners were Emily Sherrer, Caroline Colvin and Annie Talton.
Talent winners were Antonyah Dudley, Kinsley Moss and Anna Catherine King.
Interview winners were Camryn Baggett, Caroline Colvin and Miah Henderson.
The Spirit Award was given to Khya Thomas, while Zion Edwards won the Be Your Self Essay Award.
Look for photos of all the award winners in Wednesday’s newspaper.
