Whitney Student Wins State Title, $18,000+ in Scholarships

Hannah Joo, 17, has not even begun her senior year of high school yet, but she already has more than $18,000 saved for college.

On July 30, the student beat out more than 40 girls all across the state to earn the state title for the Distinguished Young Women Scholarship Program -- a program that allows high school girls to highlight their talents and compete with other girls for prizes at a local, state and national level.

For Joo, though, the chance to meet other girls and experience the camaraderie was what made the effort to compete well worth it, she said.

“It actually didn’t feel like a competition, because they focus on us encouraging each other and not on winning,” she said. “We would help each other practice and sing; it was a good experience to be together and encourage each other.”

To participate at the state level, Joo met with girls from throughout the state —including Santa Barbara, San Diego and Modesto—in Bakersfield for 10 days where they all rehearsed and competed.

“During the 10 days Hannah was in Bakersfield, we could see her changing,” said Kay Joo, Joo’s mother in a news release. “The Distinguished Young Women program has helped her learn to fully express her caring and appreciation towards others.”

Since 1958, the Distinguished Young Women national scholarship program has worked with more than 700,000 young women and offered more than $92 million in college scholarships, according to program officials.

Now, Joo joins the high ranks of other state winners and throughout the next year she will represent California at public events and serve as a role model to young people by spreading the program’s national outreach message of “Be Your Best Self.”

This message, Joo said, is one she strongly believes in.

“You have to be your best self and you don’t have to change yourself to be successful,” she said. “Use your own talent and strength to showcase yourself.”

When Joo participated in the local competition, she competed against other girls from the Cerritos-Artesia area. The competition is open to all girls, and during the event she beat out 14 others, earning her spot to represent the area at the state level.

As part of the competition, girls are judge in five categories, including the judges’ interview, talent, academics, fitness and self-expression. With a 3.9 un-weighted grade point average, and a classical on point ballet piece titled, “Paquita’s Wedding,” Joo trumped her competition.

Capturing both the local and state titles didn’t just win her bragging rights, though. As part of her prizes, at the local level Joo won $2,200 and at the state level she won $16,000. When she competes at the national level next summer in Mobile, Alabama, where she’ll have the chance to earn $40,000 more.

All the money is strictly for college tuition, Joo said.

This is not the first time that Joo has been honored for her talents. Despite being busy with advanced courses as part of her high school curriculum, Joo also participates in a number of extra-curricular activities including: the Varsity Policy Debate Team, working as a reporter for the Whitney Independent News Network, Drama, Spanish club and ballet, which she practices four times a week for up to two hours a day.

“It is hard during the school year, but I can handle everything because I truly do enjoy all of it,” Joo said. “I don’t force myself to do all these things, so it makes it a lot easier, and don’t mind putting the work in.”

During the next year, Joo said plans on applying to Northwestern University, Columbia University and Pomona College. She said plans on double majoring in either media studies or communications and dance.

For more information about the Distinguished Young Women scholarship program, visit www.distinguishedyw.org.