Distinguished Young Woman 2021
Published 7:00 am Saturday, February 1, 2020
Breanne Berthelot is the 16-year-old daughter of Kenneth and Suzanne Berthelot. For her talent, Breanne will perform a dance to “Brand New” by Ben Rector. Submitted photo
Hannah Brown is the 17-year-old daughter of Alwyn and Tracey Brown. For her talent, Hannah will perform a dramatic monologue from “Like Dreaming, Backwards” by Kellie Powell. Submitted photo.
Mollie Brown is the 16-year-old daughter of Keith and Lisa Brown. For her talent, Mollie will be singing “Fly Me to the Moon” covered by The Macarons Project, while also playing the piano. Submitted photo.
Anna Carroll is the 16-year-old daughter of Kirby and Tabatha Carroll. For her talent, Anna will perform on the piano and sing “Never Enough” from The Greatest Showman soundtrack by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Submitted photo
Emma Kennedy is the 16-year-old daughter of Matt and Vanessa Kennedy. For her talent, Emma will be performing a dance to “Bruises” by Lewis Capaldi. Submitted photo.
Lauren Pfadenhauer is the 17-year-old daughter of Charles and Elizabeth Pfadenhauer. For her talent, Lauren will be performing on the piano “Fur Elise” by Ludwig van Beethoven. Submitted photo.
Hannah Smith is the 16-year-old daughter of Bart and Kathy Smith. For her talent, Hannah will be performing a contemporary dance to “Girl Behind the Mask” by Iran Bedford. Submitted photo.
Mya Votano is the 17-year-old daughter of Joey and Autumn Votano. For her talent, Mya will be showcasing her archery skills. Submitted photo.
Eight young women from Pearl River County will compete Saturday Feb. 1 to be named the Pearl River County Distinguished Young Woman 2021 at the Picayune Memorial High School Auditorium on Goodyear Boulevard at 6 p.m.
The competition is for high school juniors and the competitors have been preparing for months with a fitness boot camp, a food drive, interview preparation and by maintaining good grades in school, said program co-director Haley Wells.
The teens are judged on their scholastics, an interview with the judges, their individual talent, their fitness and their self-expression.
“Distinguished Young Women’s motto has always been be your best self,” said Wells. “We just try to drill into the girls, be yourself. Be your best self. Don’t try to be somebody that you think the judges want to see or hear.”
The girls can earn scholarships for winning in a category. The scholarships are funded by local businesses and ticket sales, said Wells. The county winner will represent the county in a state competition in Meridian in July.
The program will include performances from Miss Sarah’s School of Dance, Sunni’s School of Dance and Pearl River County’s 2020 Distinguished Young Woman Brienne Penton.
Wells encourages the community to come out and support the young women.
“It takes a lot of preparation and a lot of confidence to put themselves out there—especially these days where teenagers have so many eyes on them and so many of their peers with social media,” said Wells. “It just really takes a lot of courage to put themselves out there, and to get on stage, and to step out of their comfort zone.”
The competitors:
4Breanne Berthelot is a 16-year-old Pearl River Central High School student. Berthelot will perform a dance to “Brand New,” by Ben Rector for her talent.
4Hannah Brown is a 17-year-old Picayune Memorial High School student. Brown’s talent will be a performance of the monologue “Like Dreaming, Backwards” by Kellie Powell.
4Mollie Brown is a 16-year-old Poplarville High School student. For her talent, Brown will sing “Fly Me to the Moon” while accompanying herself on piano.
4Anna Carroll is a 16-year-old Pearl River Central High School student. Carroll’s talent will be a piano and voice performance of “Never Enough” from The Greatest Showman.
4Emma Kennedy is a 16-year-old Pearl River Central High School student. Kennedy’s talent will be a dance performance to “Bruises” by Lewis Capaldi.
4Lauren Pfadenhauer is a 17-year-old Picayune Memorial High School student. Pfadenhauer will perform “Fur Elise” by Beethoven on piano as her talent.
4Hannah Smith is a 16-year-old Picayune Memorial High School student. For her talent, Smith will perform a contemporary dance to “Girl Behind the Mask” by Iran Bedford.
4Mya Votano is a 17-year-old Picayune Memorial High School student. Votano will showcase her archery skills as her talent.
Tickets will be $10. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show is at 6:30.
