Ashley Sudduth, Distinguished Young Woman of Lafayette County, will be one of 30 Mississippi high school seniors competing for more than $33,000 in college scholarships when the 2024 Distinguished Young Women of Mississippi Program gets underway on July 13 in Meridian.
There is a send-off party for Sudduth today at 4 p.m. at the Lafayette County & Oxford Public Library.
The state program is now in its 67th year celebrating and spotlighting outstanding achievements of the state’s best and brightest high school girls.
The three nights of competition at The Evangel Temple concludes on July 15.
The doors open nightly at 6:30 p.m. and each show starts promptly at 7:30 p.m. for the three-night event.
Reserved tickets are available for $65 for a three-night package. General admission tickets are available for $50 for a three-night package or may be purchased for individual evenings: $20, Thursday; $20, Friday; and $25, Saturday. Tickets may be obtained by logging on to www.purplepass.com/dywofms or calling 601-480-3438.
“We are extremely excited about this year’s program,” said Sid Wilkinson, State Chairman of the Distinguished Young Women of Mississippi Program. “This program celebrates the outstanding accomplishments of high school women and offers them cash scholarship opportunities to further their education.”
Sudduth, the daughter of Lt. Col. Mark Sudduth II and Harriet Sudduth of Oxford, attends Oxford High School. Academic accomplishments, membership and hobbies include the following: Student Council Junior Class Representative, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, National Honor Society, Oxford Varsity Volleyball and Beyond Our Walls Community Service Club Vice-President.
She plans to attend the University of Mississippi to pursue a career as an entrepreneur.
During the week-long program in Meridian, participants are evaluated on scholastic achievement, fitness, self-expression, talent, and interview. Sudduth has chosen a piano presentation of “Polonaise” by Frederic Chopin” for her talent.
If selected as Distinguished Young Woman of Mississippi, Sudduth will compete in the Distinguished Young Women of 2024 finals in June of 2024, held in Mobile, Alabama. There she will compete for the opportunity to win a share of more than $100,000 in cash scholarship awards, including the $40,000 national title scholarship award.
Founded in 1958, Distinguished Young Women is a free program that encourages participants to reach their full individual potential. Its mission is to empower young women by providing over $1 billion in scholarship opportunities, developing their self-confidence and participating in our Life Skills Workshops that prepare them for success after high school.
For more information about Distinguished Young Women, contact Tara Principe, National Headquarters Marketing and Communications Director, at 251-438-3621 or Tara@DistinguishedYW.org or visit www.DistinguishedYW.org.
Staff report
