BROWNSTOWN — A composed Jenna Bracamonte was not at a loss for words shortly after she was named 2024 Jackson County Distinguished Young Woman on Saturday night.
“The whole experience is amazing,” the Brownstown Central High School senior said. “All the people were so sweet. We receive so many donations and so many treats. We were just spoiled all week. It was just such a great experience.”
Along with the $4,500 scholarship, medal, flower bouquet, personal tumbler and photo session she received, Bracamonte earned another $400 for the self-expression category, giving her a total of $4,900 in scholarship money from the event held in the auditorium at Brownstown Central High School.
Bracamonte was among 15 senior high school girls competing Saturday, as $16,300 in scholarship money was up for grabs — the most in the 29 years of the program in Jackson County.
Jenna Bolte of Brownstown Central High School received $3,500 for being named first runner-up and earned another $400 in the talent category and $400 in the scholastics category for a total of $4,300, and Anna Marks received $2,500 as second runner-up plus $1,000 for receiving the Warren/Silver Spirit Award and $400 each for winning the talent, interview and self expression categories. Her total scholarship earnings was $4,700.
Master of Ceremonies Heather Florido said the $16,300 in scholarship money was the highest in the state, and over the 29 years of Jackson County’s program, $251,050 had been raised from sponsors and distributed to contestants.
The contestants were evaluated by a panel of three judges in the following categories: Scholastics (25%), interview (25%), talent (20%), fitness (15%) and self-expression (15%).
This year, $400 in scholarship money was earned by two girls in each category. The winners were:
Fitness: Marks and Jaidyn Nichols of SHS
Talent: Bolte of BCHS and Triniti Wilde of SHS
Self-expression: Marks of SHS and Bracamonte of BCHS
Interview: Marks and Siana Bruce of SHS
The judges were given access to the contestants’ school transcripts to determine their overall scholastic ability, and the interviews were conducted earlier in the day.
Talents were done individually Saturday night, while the contestants learned a group fitness routine during practices last week and were split into two groups to display their skills during the competition.
Bracamonte said the contestants learned the exercise dance routine along with a second one to open the program in three days.
“It was a little rough but super fun,” she said.
Bracamonte said she’s planning on attending college with an eye toward possibly Hanover College. She also hasn’t nailed down a major, although it might be music.
The talent portion included some singing, dancing, cheerleading, gymnastics and even a weightlifting routine and more.
For self-expression, each contestant answered the same question: “If Jackson County’s theme was ‘Jackson County Proud,’ what would you be proud of to share to the world and why?
Bracamonte’s answer?
“Opportunity,” she said. “If I could share one thing about Jackson County with the world, I would mention it is a refuge for many.”
She said there are so many opportunities for people. Whether it is somebody searching for a fresh start, a new job or a committee to be involved in, Jackson County is the place to be.
Bolte said she was very surprised about finishing as first runner-up.
“This has taken a lot of work,” she said. “I am very thankful to have this award. It has been super fun and an awesome experience. I was really nervous in the beginning about signing, but I’m glad I did.”
Marks said she was very surprised to receive the spirit award, which is voted upon by the contestants, and being named second runner-up.
“I was very excited,” she said, noting her plans are to go to college to study speech pathology.
There also were three other awards presented. The first was for most tickets sold for the event, and it went to Breanna Lawrence of SHS. The second was the people’s choice award, which gave attendees a chance to vote for their favorite contestant and donate money to the program. Kelsey Schneider of BCHS won that award.
There also was the Be Your Best Self essay contest, which required contestants to write about a moment in their life when they were their best self. Tori Fee and Raeann Baker of SHS won those awards.
Bracamonte moves on to the state competition in February in Kokomo, where she will vie for the opportunity to represent the state as the Distinguished Young Woman of Indiana for 2024.
That winner will move on to the 67th Distinguished Young Women National Finals in June in Mobile, Alabama. There, she will join 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.