DYW is back at PHS for the 2025-2026 school year! Distinguished Young Women (DYW) is a nationally honored scholarship program for young ladies to find empowerment, gain confidence, win scholarships for college, and make new friendships along the way.
DYW has been around for 73 years and is still going strong. It does not only happen in PHS; it happens all around the country.
“Ms. Hagan and I had the opportunity to take over the program from a long-lasting educator, Ms. Williams. She had been doing the program here at the high school for 20 years, I believe. It’s an honor to follow in her footsteps.” said Ms. Dimov, co-leader of DYW.
This program impacts junior girls going into senior year. This club will help these girls stand out and have amazing experiences!
“Winning the competition was one of the best moments in my life. I had never felt so accomplished, proud, and grateful to have had the opportunity to be introduced to such a wonderful program highlighting women empowerment. Spending endless hours sweating, dancing, walking in heels, and practicing interview and self-expression questions was all worth it, and being able to spend such a special accomplishment with the girls and the people I love filled me with so much gratitude.” Said Alena Hennings, last year’s DYW winner.
While DYW may sound like a beauty pageant, that’s not the case. According to Ms. Dimov, there is a misconception of what the program’s all about.
“I want to point out the ideals that some may perceive this program as a “beauty pageant “, and I want to set the record: it is, in fact, not. Sure, the girls dress up, but who doesn’t want to get fancied up once in a while? The program has a fitness, talent, scholastic, self-expression, and interview portion. These girls are so driven, whether it be in practice or when we are in my homeroom working on our interviewing skills.”
DYW is a great opportunity for young girls that want to experience leadership and show off their amazing skills to the world.
The Distinguished Young Woman Competition will be held on May 10th in the East Auditorium at Portage High School. Stay tuned for more information about the competition, including ticket prices, sponsorship opportunities, and more. For information about the DYW program, visit their website at https://distinguishedyw.org/indiana/portage.
