Haley Geiger of Ridgeley, West Virginia will travel to Mobile, Ala. this Sunday, June 18 to participate in the 60th Distinguished Young Women National Finals to be held June 29, 30 and July 1 at the Mobile Civic Center Theater.

Geiger is one of 51 young women representing each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. who will compete for thousands of dollars in cash scholarships and the opportunity to represent the program as the Distinguished Young Woman of America for 2017.

Following her selection as the Distinguished Young Woman of West Virginia, Geiger began preparations for the National Finals competition, which will include five categories of evaluation: scholastics (25%), interview (25%), fitness (15%), talent (20%) and self-expression (15%). During her two weeks in Mobile, Geiger will participate in team building activities, complete community service projects, interact with the Gulf Coast community through various events and engage in many hours of rehearsal in preparation for the three-night scholarship competition.

“These young women have shown a work ethic and demonstrated commitment to being leaders in the areas of scholarship, leadership and talent,” said Kendra Haskins, Executive Director for Distinguished Young Women. “We know the future is in good hands with these dedicated young ladies.”

If selected as the program’s overall winner, Geiger will spend the next year representing Distinguished Young Women across the country through various appearances and promoting the program’s national outreach initiative of “Be Your Best Self.” The outreach program is designed to combat major issues facing children today including childhood obesity and high school drop out rates, as well as encourage young people to take an active interest in their communities through service. The outreach program consists of five elements – Be Healthy, Be Involved, Be Studious, Be Ambitious and Be Responsible.

Geiger is a 2017 graduate of Frankfort High School and the daughter of Gary and Pamela Geiger.

Founded in 1958 in Mobile, Alabama, Distinguished Young Women is the largest and oldest national scholarship program for high school girls. During its 60 years of operation, the program has provided life-changing experiences for more than 745,000 young women. Distinguished Young Women has provided more than $106 million in cash scholarships and $1.1 billion in college granted scholarship opportunities annually to program participants at the local, state and national level. Previously known as America’s Junior Miss, the program announced its new name in June 2010.

The mission of Distinguished Young Women is to positively impact the lives of young women by providing a transformative experience that promotes and rewards scholarship, leadership and talent.