The Triton Distinguished Young Woman Board of Directors are proud to introduce the ten young ladies who will vie for $4,900 in college scholarships and the opportunity to represent the community as the 56th Distinguished Young Woman of Triton.
Tickets to the scholarship program, to be held on Saturday, September 21, 2019, can be purchased from the contestants or at the door for $6. Triton’s Performing Arts Center will open at 6:30 PM with the program starting at 7:00 PM.
The ten young women competing will be evaluated by a panel of judges in the following categories: Scholastics (25%), Interview (25%), Talent (20%), Fitness (15%), and Self-Expression (15%). The winner of Triton’s DYW will join other senior girls from across the state to compete for Indiana’s Distinguished Young Women in Kokomo the week of February 9, 2020. The journey will continue for the winner of the state competition at the 63rd annual America’s Distinguished Young Women Finals in Mobile, Alabama on June 25, 26 and 27, 2020, where she will join 51 other representatives from across the country in competing for cash scholarships and the opportunity to represent the program as the Distinguished Young Woman of America.
Contestant #1 Skyla Wilson is the daughter of Cassandra and Weston Wilson of Etna Green. Skyla plans to study special and early education at IUSB. Her activities include Varsity Cheerleading, Varsity Softball, Spirit Club, Art Club, and Girl Scouts. She has volunteered her time to Mini Cheer Clinics, Girl Scout Camp, church VBS, and Triton’s Books and Baskets outreach. In her spare time she enjoys painting, sports, traveling, working with children, and spending time with family and friends. Skyla will be performing a cheerleading routine.
Contestant #2 Tiffaney Hughes is the daughter of Julia and Terry Hughes of Tippecanoe. Tiffaney plans to attend Indiana Wesleyan University where she will major in marketing, communications, and public relations. Her activities include Varsity Cross Country, Varsity Track and Field, Marching Band, Worship Team, private piano lessons, Drama Club, DECA, Science Club, Spirit Club, and Yearbook. She has volunteered at various church events including soup kitchens, disaster relief bucket assembly, and a three week mission trip to Haiti. She also helps with Triton’s after school program. In her spare time, she enjoys playing the piano, reading, styling hair, putting together outfits, running, and hanging out with friends and family. Tiffaney will be playing Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” on the piano.
Contestant #3 Lauren Hedington is the daughter of Tara and Clint Hedington of Tippecanoe. Lauren plans to study business management at Grace College. During high school, Lauren has participated in choir, drama productions, Varsity Basketball, and Senior Squad. In her spare time, she enjoys fishing, learning from others, basketball, singing, and producing music. Lauren will be singing Allyse Smith’s version of “Homeward Bound”.
Contestant #4 Brooklyn Presly Patton of Etna Green is the daughter of Steven Patton and Abigail Bruce. Brooklyn plans to attend Purdue University Northwest to become a veterinary technician. She has been an active member of the Triton Art Club throughout high school. Her love of animals led her to volunteer at the Isaiah 11 Animal Rescue. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, making crafts, learning about animal behavior, biology, and mechanics. Brooklyn will be speed painting for her on stage talent.
Contestant #5 Caitlyn Ihnen is the daughter of Andrew and Samantha O’Connor of Bourbon. Caitlyn plans to pursue a nursing degree after high school. She is a member of the Triton Jazz, Concert, and Pep Band while also being active in KYLA, Helping Hands, Senior Squad, Spanish Club, Destination Imagination, and the Triton Theatre Department. She has volunteered her time by repairing tombstones, co-creating a peer mentoring group, helping with a Boy Scout food drive, and Project Kindness. In her spare time, she enjoys playing instruments, singing, reading, helping others, learning about psychology, and spending time with her great-grandmas. Caitlyn will be singing and playing the guitar to Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love”.
Contestant #6 Whytnie Miller of Bourbon is the daughter of Rhonda and Wayne Miller. Whytnie plans to major in Environmental Studies as a part of the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps at Saint Mary’s College. As an athlete at Triton, she has participated in Varsity Basketball, Varsity Softball, Varsity Golf, and Varsity Cross Country while being active in her youth group, KYLA, NHS, Spirit Club, DECA, Yearbook, and Art Club. For her KYLA project, Whytnie partnered with community members to help host Eklesia, a community wide worship service. She has also volunteered her time at the Feed my Starving Children MobilePack, Rock and Recycle, missionary work through her church, and the DECA “Teddy Bear Toss”. In her spare time, she enjoys playing sports, archery, scrapbooking, photography, playing the piano, singing, and traveling. Whytnie will be singing and playing the piano to Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down”.
Contestant #7 Alyxa Viers is the daughter of Jamey Baker of Tippecanoe. Alyxa plans to attend Ancilla College and transfer to Purdue University to pursue a veterinary career and study dairy genetics. As an athlete at Triton, she has participated in Varsity Volleyball, Varsity Basketball, and Varsity Softball while participating in 4-H, Spanish Club, Spirit Club, Art Club, FFA, dairy and crops judging. She has volunteered her time to Bre’s Run, painted a house, collected food for local pantries, and helped with the District 2 FFA Leadership Contest. In her spare time, she enjoys reading mystery novels, babysitting, being active in the community, and spending time with her family and animals. Alyxa will be performing a comedic dairy judging routine.
Contestant #8 Haley May is the daughter of Lisa and Mark Combs of Bourbon. Haley plans to attend Grand Valley State University to become an event manager. Her activities include NHS, Sonlight Volunteer, Helping Hands, and Art Club. She has been on a mission trip to Honduras, painted fire hydrants and homes in Fort Wayne, decorated a homeless shelter for Christmas, and helps with her church’s daycare every other Sunday. In her spare time, she enjoys helping others, traveling, listening to music, playing the ukulele, being around animals, and hiking. Haley will be performing a skit to “Fifty Nifty United States”.
Contestant #9 Haley Hooley of Tippecanoe is the daughter of Shawn and Brandy Hooley. Haley plans to study dental hygiene at IUPUI. Her activities include DECA Club, Spanish Club, Spirit Club, Hoosier Girls State, KYLA, NHS, Student Council, Varsity Golf, Varsity Tennis, and Varsity Boys Basketball Manager. She volunteers at a local nursing home, library, elementary school, and her church. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing, signing, shopping, public speaking, and writing. Haley will be dancing to Irene Cara’s “Flashdance… What a Feeling”.
Contestant #10 Taylor Cornican is the daughter of Marion and Casey Cormican of Athens. Taylor plans to become a criminal profiler after graduating from Ball State University. Her activities include Varsity Cheerleading, Spirit Club, and Art Club. Taylor loves volunteering for the Red Cross alongside her grandma. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, music, drawling, photography and writing. Taylor will be performing a dramatic reading as her on stage talent.
Distinguished Women of Triton is a not for profit organization, with 100 percent of ticket sales and donations from the community going towards the scholarship fund and program’s sustaining fees.
Since it’s beginning, Junior Miss, now known as Distinguished Young Women, has awarded high school seniors scholarships for their academic and on stage performances. Each contestant is judged in five categories: scholastic achievement (25%), interview (25%), talent (20%), fitness (15%), and self-expression (15%). Prior to the show a third party tallies each contestant’s scholastic score based on their GPA, SAT, and level of class difficulty. The day of the show a panel of judges will spend 10 minutes conducting a personal interview with each contestant. During the show the audience is able to enjoy the 90-second talents, a fitness routine, and self-expression portion of judging.
After all the scores have been tallied during a short intermission, the Triton DYW Board along with numerous local sponsors will award $4,900 in scholarships. Preliminary awards include scholastic achievement, fitness, self-expression, talent, Spirit of Junior Miss, and interview.
Triton’s 2019 DYW, Abigail Powell, will return to perform a talent, share her experience, take a final walk, and announce the 2020 winner.
