Through participating in the Distinguished Young Women program, Sarah Lemming said she has become a more involved and self-aware person.

The Trinity Lutheran High School senior said the organization is based on exhibiting strong morals and being a role model, and she keeps these things in mind as she makes decisions every day.

As she prepares to represent Jackson County in the state competition next week in Kokomo, she plans to leave with a valuable experience under her belt.

“No matter the outcome, I will have gained a stronger work ethic, interview and public speaking skills and the chance to meet many other girls who have each won their county competition,” Lemming said. “My primary goal is not solely to win or be the best person on the stage but to always improve myself and learn from mistakes as I grow.”

The state scholarship program was supposed to start Sunday and run through Feb. 20. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Lemming said she and the 24 other contestants will arrive in Kokomo on Feb. 16 and stay in a hotel room with a fellow contestant instead of a host family’s house, which participants did in past years.

That first night, contestants will attend the mayor’s reception dinner, where they will be welcomed by the city’s leader, Tyler Moore.

Feb. 17 and 18 will be dedicated to rehearsals with the preliminaries being held the night of Feb. 18. The top 10 contestants will compete in the finals on the night of Feb. 19 at Indiana University Kokomo’s Havens Auditorium.

As of now, Lemming said everything will be in person except for the interviews, which will be conducted over Zoom this Sunday.

Distinguished Young Women of Indiana is part of a national scholarship program that promotes and rewards scholarship, leadership and talent in young women.

College scholarships are awarded at the state level ($28,000 last year), and millions in college-granted scholarships are available ($1 billion nationally).

The state winner will advance to the 65th national program in Mobile, Alabama, joining 50 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.

Just like the county competition, contestants will be evaluated by a panel of judges in the following categories: Scholastics (25%), interview (25%), talent (20%), fitness (15%) and self-expression (15%). There also is a Be Your Best Self essay contest.

The judges will be given access to the contestants’ school transcripts to determine their overall scholastic ability, while talents are done individually, and the contestants will do a group fitness routine and answer a self-expression question.

At state, two preliminary winners and an overall winner will be chosen in each category, and the senior with the best overall score will win the state title.

Lemming was named the county winner during the contest Aug. 7 in the Brownstown Central High School auditorium.

Along with a $4,000 scholarship, a medal, a flower bouquet, a personal tumbler, a photo session and a personalized Thirty-One bag she received for that title, Lemming earned another $350 each for the self-expression, interview and talent portions, giving her a total of $5,050 in scholarship money.

She was among 13 senior high school girls competing, as $13,500 in scholarship money was up for grabs — the most in the 27 years of the program in Jackson County.

“The week of the Jackson County Distinguished Young Women program was such a fun experience, and I had an amazing time connecting with fellow incoming seniors as we prepared for our competition,” Lemming said.

Since then, Lemming said she has participated in community parades with first runner-up Addison Bumbleburg of TLHS, second runner-up Madalyn Baurle of Seymour High School and Warren/Silver Spirit Award winner Ella Plasse of Crothersville High School.

Lemming also gave a presentation on the Be Your Best Self platform to middle-schoolers at St. Ambrose Catholic School, where she attended from preschool to eighth grade. That platform focuses on five elements: Be Healthy, Be Involved, Be Studious, Be Ambitious and Be Responsible.

She also has spent time learning the new fitness routine and opening number, which must be memorized prior to the state competition, and practicing her violin for the talent portion.

On Jan. 9, Lemming joined the other state contestants at the state tea in Kokomo. They took pictures for the state program, met their roommates, gathered for a group photo and listened to different speakers discussing details of the state contest.

“All of the questions I had about the competition were clarified,” Lemming said. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to take on a challenge and to meet all the other girls who will be competing.”

The 2023 county competition will be conducted in August, and organizers will distribute information to high schools in the spring.

“I strongly encourage girls in the current junior class throughout Jackson County to participate in this great opportunity to win scholarships,” said Lemming, who plans to put the money she earns toward college at Xavier University, where she will major in biology and move on to medical school to become a physician.