Montgomery Catholic senior Jimmiah Fenderson has beauty,
brains, and talent, and it’s helping her to pave a path to college. She
participated in Montgomery’s Distinguished Young Women Program with 14 other
senior girls from Montgomery. They all competed to become the next
Distinguished Young Woman of Montgomery County who would then advance to the
state competition.
This program, formerly known as Junior Miss, encourages high
school senior girls to exhibit a variety of personal and professional
competencies. Contestants had to exercise professional skills, which included
writing an essay, being interviewed, and speaking in front of a large audience.
They demonstrated physical fitness through a choreographed aerobic dance
routine. Finally, every contestant showed off a special talent, which gave the
audience insight into each girl’s unique personality.
Jimmiah, who aspires to become a pediatrician, came out on
top in two categories. She won the physical fitness portion, thanks to her
conditioning as a student athlete, and she also won the “Self Expression”
extemporaneous public speaking category. Each contestant was given the same
prompt shortly before the program began that had to be answered in front of the
audience: “What advice has shaped who you are today?” Jimmiah’s answer was
short and inspiring: “There are two types of people in this world: those who
make excuses, and those who find a way.” She went on to say that labels do not
define a person, nor do they limit their capabilities, and that she writes her
own book and forges her own path. While she did not win the overall
competition, she was awarded $21,000 in scholarship money because of her
performance. Jimmiah has not yet decided on the college she will attend in the
fall, but doors are opening for her in all directions.
