Oxford High School senior Keira Serrano will be one of 34 Mississippi high school seniors competing in the 2023 Distinguished Young Women of Mississippi Program on Thursday, July 14, 2022, in Meridian, Mississippi. 

The state program is now in its 66th 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 Church concludes on Saturday, July 16. The doors open nightly at 6:30 p.m. and each show starts promptly at 7:30 p.m. for the three-night event.

“We are extremely excited about this year’s program,” said Sid Wilkinson, State Chairman of the Distinguished Young Women of Mississippi Program. “The program celebrates the outstanding achievements of today’s young women and offers them cash scholarship opportunities to further their education.”

So far, Serrano has won over $1000 scholarship and prizes for winning the Distinguished Young Women of Lafayette County competition.

Among her prizes included a photography package from Legacy Photography, membership to Core Oxford, and a gift certificate from Deals Auto Repair and an additional $100 for winning the Overall Interview Award.

At the state competition, the 34 seniors will have a chance to win more than $28,900 in college scholarships.

While in Meridian the week of July 10-16 the Distinguished Young Women participants are involved in rehearsals, community service activities, a night at HYPE, an autograph party at Belle G, dinner with the judges at the MAX and a Red Carpet Party. During the nights of the showcase they are evaluated on fitness, self-expression, talent, and interview. A separate panel of judges review the scholastic records.

Last year, Christina Danford, The Distinguished Young Woman for Forrest County, took the title of The Distinguished Young Woman of Mississippi for 2022 and $6,800 in cash scholarships.  She was awarded the Brainstorm Overall talent award, a preliminary award in fitness and a preliminary award in scholastics.

Reserved tickets for the 2023 Distinguished Young Women Program 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 go on sale Monday, June 27, by calling 601-480-3438. Visa, MasterCard and American Express are welcomed.

For more information on the Distinguished Young Women program, visit their website at www.distinguishedyw.org.

Image by Legacy Photography