Evynn Richardson was chosen as Distinguished Young Woman of Roanoke Valley for 2021.
Evynn is a rising senior at Warren New Tech High School and is the daughter of LaDonna Richardson and Garland Richarson.
She received $4,050 in cash scholarships Saturday night, placing in fitness, self-expression, scholastic, overall interview award and received the Spirit award.
Evynn will now compete for the state title, traveling to Greensboro in January to participate in the Distinguished Young Women of North Carolina state program.
The Roanoke Valley DYW scholarship program event was held virtually this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The program highlighted seven young ladies from the Roanoke Valley representing three high schools.
Paige Turner, Distinguished Young Woman of Roanoke Valley for 2020, chose the theme Sunshine State of Mind for the program.
Runner ups
First runner up was Taylor Harris. She is a rising senior at Roanoke Rapids High School and is the daughter of Todd and Jennifer Harris. She received $3,000 in cash scholarships, placing in the self-expression, interview, talent, fitness and scholastic categories.
Second runner up was Madalyn Godfery. She is a rising senior at RRHS and is the daughter of Travis and Caren Godfrey. She won $1,450 in cash scholarships, placing in interview and overall scholastics.
Individual category
Individual Category award recipients and donors are as follows:
Fitness - Katie DeBruhl, Taylor Harris, Evynn Richardson.
Fitness awards were valued at $200 each and sponsored by Ben’s Creek Nursery and Distinguished Young Woman of Roanoke Valley Scholarship fund.
Self expression - Taylor Harris, Laney Jean, and Evynn Richardson
Self expression awards were valued at $200 each and sponsored by Watson Builders and Distinguished Young Woman of Roanoke Valley Scholarship fund.
Talent - Katie DeBruhl, Taylor Harris, and Laney Jean
Talent awards were valued at $200 each and sponsored by Roanoke Valley Insurance and Distinguished Young Woman of Roanoke Valley Scholarship fund.
Interview: Madalyn Godfrey, Taylor Harris, and Laney Jean.
Interview Awards were valued at $200 each and sponsored by WestRock.
Overall Interview: Evynn Richardson
Overall Interview Award winner received a $250 cash scholarship and was sponsored by WestRock.
Scholastic: Taylor Harris, Laney Jean, and Evynn Richardson
Scholastic awards were valued at $200 each and sponsored by Robert Caudle with Edward Jones Investments and Distinguished Young Woman of Roanoke Valley Scholarship fund.
Overall scholastic: Madalyn Godfrey
Overall Scholastic award winner received a $250 cash scholarship sponsored by
Distinguished Young Woman of Roanoke Valley Scholarship fund.
Entrepreneur award: Laney Jean
The Young Entrepreneur award recognized a young woman for her hard work and dedication throughout the Distinguished Young Woman program through fundraising and overall service to the program as well as the community. The award was sponsored by WestRock.
Laney Jean, the winner of the award, received a $150 cash scholarship.
Spirit award: Evynn Richardson
The spirit award is a long time coveted award by participants across America. The young lady chosen is selected by her fellow participants and is viewed to have the attributes that a DYW should have and is given to the one they think embodies the Distinguished Young Woman program.
The Spirit scholarship was sponsored by The Distinguished Young Woman Scholarship fund. Evynn Richardson, the winner of the spirit award, received a $200 cash scholarship.
Two "Be Your Best Self" Awards: Lily Curtis and Enyaw McCain
The Be Your Best Self awards are given to the young women who embody the BYBS message empowering young people with valuable tools to face the challenges of negative peer pressure, drawing on their own personal experiences. Each participant submitted an essay for this award.
Each recipient won a $100 scholarship sponsored by Brett Liles with Seagroves Insurance and The Distinguished Young Woman of Roanoke Valley Scholarship fund.
There will be an interest meeting for the class of 2022 on September 13 at 2 p.m. The exact location has not been determined.
For more information follow the Distinguished Young Women of Roanoke Valley on Facebook.
