HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A Hawaii teen flew to Alabama Tuesday to compete for $150,000 in cash scholarships.
Madison Iwashita is one of 50 young representatives participating in the 67th Distinguished Young Woman of America for 2024.
The Distinguished Young Women program is the oldest and largest national scholarship program for young women. The program was created to reward high school girls for their accomplishments as they seek to pursue higher education.
“These young women are accomplished, talented, intelligent, and have exciting futures ahead of them,” said Carole Hegwood, Executive Director of Distinguished Young Women, in a recent media release.
Iwashita, a 2024 graduate of Sacred Hearts Academy, will compete in the program’s national finals, where she will be evaluated across five categories: an interview, scholastics, fitness, talent and self-expression.
During her two-week experience, Iwashita will also partake in team-building activities, engage in community service projects and interact with the Gulf Coast community through several events.
If selected as the overall winner, Iwashita will spend the next year representing the program through various appearances as a mentor to younger generations and promoting the program’s outreach initiative, Be Your Best Self, which combats issues children are facing today such as high school dropout rates and obesity.
Iwashita hopes to one day be a U.S. Diplomat in East Asia.
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