Washington teen named Distinguished Young Woman of Missouri

Statewide scholarship program awarded more than $1,000 in cash scholarships to participants

Mobile, Ala. (July 25, 2011) - On July 23, Lizabeth Marquart of Washington was named the Distinguished Young Woman of Missouri and awarded $1,300 in cash scholarships during a statewide scholarship program for high school girls held at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Manchester, Mo.

Marquart was one of 4 high school senior girls from Missouri who competed to represent the state as the Distinguished Young Woman of Missouri for 2012. Other participants included: Nia Chunn of Saint Louis; Madison Elmore of Manchester; and Haley Huffstutler of Waynesville. Participants were evaluated in the categories of Scholastics (20%), Interview (25%), Fitness (15%), Self-Expression (15%) and Talent (25%).

"Seeing our daughter win the Distinguished Young Woman of Missouri award was so exciting! For her to be recognized for her overall hard work is fulfilling as a parent,” said Dawn Marquart, mother of Marquart. “Libby tries so hard in all that she does and is very caring. The opportunity to win scholarships while showcasing her talents is a pretty fun way to earn money for college. The big picture is really that Distinguished Young Women is giving her future opportunities that she may not have had, if she hadn't competed.”

Throughout the next year, Marquart will represent Missouri at various public events and serve as a role model to young people by spreading the program’s national outreach message of “Be Your Best Self.”

Marquart is the daughter of Dawn and Jeff Marquart and will be a senior at Washington High School this fall. Marquart’s achievements include: 4.0 Honor Roll; Renaissance Award in Academics and Leadership; Washington Rotary Club Capital Tour Award; Academic Achievement Award in Physics; Academic Achievement Award in English; MO Dance Team Assoc. Academic Excellence 4.0; MO Dance Team Assoc. Academic All-State Team; Gateway Athletic Conference Academic Team. In addition, Marquart’s activities include: Wyman Teen Leadership Program; Varsity Dance Team Member; National Honor Society Member; Orchestra – Violin; A+ Program Member; Mu Alpha Theta Member; WHS Prom Committee Member; Camp Weloki.

The 55th National Finals will take place on June 28, 29, and 30, 2012, in Mobile, Alabama. Marquart will travel to Mobile, Alabama along with 49 other state representatives to participate in personal development activities and community service projects before competing for the opportunity to become the Distinguished Young Woman of America for 2012 and for a share of more than $140,000 in cash scholarships. Tennessee’s Katye Brock, who will attend the University of Tennessee-Knoxville this fall, won the 2011 overall award.

For more information on Distinguished Young Women of Missouri, please contact Kristy Whiteside at 636-240-8485 Missouri@DistinguishedYW.org.

About Distinguished Young Women
Founded in 1958 in Mobile, Alabama, Distinguished Young Women, is the largest and oldest national scholarship program for high school girls. During its 54 years of operation, the program has provided life-changing experiences for more than 700,000 young women. Last year Distinguished Young Women provided more than $108 million in cash and college scholarship opportunities to program participants at the local, state and national levels. Previously known as America’s Junior Miss, the program announced its new name in June 2010.

The mission of Distinguished Young Women is to positively impact the lives of young women by providing a transformative experience that promotes and rewards scholarship, leadership and talent. National sponsors include the City of Mobile, Mobile County, Eastern Shore Toyota, Encore Rehabilitation, Mobile Gas: A Sempra Company, Alabama Power Foundation, Regions Bank and Master Boat Builders.

For more information about Distinguished Young Women, contact Stephanie Bradford, National Headquarters Communications Director (251-622-5335, Stephanie@DistinguishedYW.org) or visit www.DistinguishedYW.org.

Find us on Facebook and Twitter:
www.facebook.com/distinguishedyw  
www.twitter.com/distinguishedyw