Washington wins Distinguished Young Woman
Marlee Washington won the Neshoba County Distinguished Young Women competition on Saturday and says she is extremely excited about advancing to the state competition in July.
“I’m still in shock,” Washington said. “It feels amazing to be able to represent the county in a different capacity. At times I got discouraged, but I ended up pushing through. It was just an amazing experience,”
Having dedicated a year to DYW preparations with an interview coach, Washington embraced the Elvis-themed event, clinching several awards in physical fitness, self-expression, and talent. She also performed an acro dance rendition of “Proud Mary” by Tina Turner.
“I went in the competition wanting to win fitness. That was my goal,” Washington said. “After we went through the other categories I just felt like I could get more awards, and it was a shock to get all three.”
Washington, a junior at Neshoba Central High School, is the daughter of Mangold and Melonie Washington. She plans to attend Spelman College or Tougaloo College for a career in pediatrics.
Washington says she wants to leverage her platform to promote her nonprofit organization “No Girls Left Behind,” which provides feminine hygiene products to schools and jail systems.
Contestants engaged in five categories, each contributing to their scores, including Scholastic (25%), Judge’s Interview (25%), On-Stage Talent (20%), Physical Fitness Routine (15%), and Self-Expression/On-Stage Question (15%).
Throughout the competition, $10,000 in cash scholarships were provided by donations from local businesses and distributed to winners, with Washington securing a $4,000 scholarship for the title and three additional $500 scholarships for fitness, talent, and self-expression, totaling $5,500.
Shelby Rudolph received a $2,000 scholarship as the first alternate and an additional $550 scholarship for spirit and scholastics.
Anslie Flake claimed a $1,200 scholarship as the second alternate, and Sarah Alice Fulton received $750 as the third alternate.
Washington will head to the state competition at the Evangel Temple in Meridian July 11-13.
“Marlee is very much involved in her school and community. She is extremely well-rounded, and she really captured what we feel to be a Distinguished Young Woman,” said Morgan Jay, program chair for Neshoba County DYW.
For more information about the Distinguished Young Women program, visit www.distinguishedyw.org.