For many high school students, the pressures of juggling academics, extracurricular activities, and social lives are daunting.
For senior Caroline Harper, balancing the weight of these challenges has opened a gate of success as she has used her experiences to make her mark on the Distinguished Young Women of Kentucky Program and bring home first runner-up.
Harper’s DYW experience began very differently from most as the first two days of rehearsal were canceled due to weather and part of the competition was pushed back.
“Between the rehearsal days missed, and the last minute pushback of the shows, I was stressed about my performances,” Harper said. “Our rehearsal days were extended by a few hours and we had to cram a lot of hard work into the few days we had.”
Due to the longer rehearsal days, the DYW contestants spent a significant amount of time together.
“We spent an entire week basically blocked off from the real world, which allowed for a ton of time to form connections,” Harper said. “The rehearsals and workshops would have been extremely tiring, but the other girls made the experience ten times more fun. It is very rare to be surrounded by 30 other girls who are all intelligent and talented, while it was incredibly intimidating, I can confidently say I walked away with a whole new system of support and friends.”
Although Harper formed new lifelong connections along the way, she had the support of her hometown behind her throughout her whole journey.
“I have never felt so much pride in my hometown as I did during DYW,” she said. “I had so many family and friends as well as the Clark County DYW council, teachers, and community members supporting me throughout the entire week. I am endlessly grateful to each and every person who came to watch the program, watch the live stream, or just send supporting messages. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Clark County cheering me on.”
The Clark County DYW council played a key role in Harper’s success at state.
“Without my local program chairs, Haley Tye Ross, and Terri Tye, I never would have done as well as I did,” Harper said.
As Harper finishes her reign as Clark County’s DYW she is forever grateful for everything the program has done for her. “This journey has truly been a once in a lifetime opportunity and getting the chance to prove my worth is something I will cherish forever.”
Time is nearing for Harper to pass the torch to the next qualified young woman and with state being over, Harper is focusing on this year’s Clark County DYW program.
After a March orientation, the program will be held in June. Caroline encourages all eligible juniors to sign up.
“I strongly recommend each and every junior girl who is eligible to participate,” Harper said. “This program is truly so special and transformative and I promise this experience will create lifelong memories for you just like it did for me.”
