Photo courtesy of Mountain Brook Schools.
Julianne Abenoja, a senior at Mountain Brook High School, was the winner of the Distinguished Young Women of Alabama competition in January.
Julianne Abenoja, a senior at Mountain Brook High School, was named the overall winner of the Distinguished Young Women (DYW) of Alabama 2022 competition Jan. 22 in Montgomery.
Abenoja represented Jefferson County after winning the Distinguished Young Women of Jefferson County competition at John Carroll Catholic High School in Birmingham in July.
"The entire night felt like a whirlwind," Abenoja told Alabama News Network. "I was running on pure adrenaline in the last performance, and it was just such a dream." One of 45 contestants from all across the state, Abenoja won the talent, fitness, scholastic and interview portions the competition. She will now represent the state of Alabama at the National DYW competition from June 23-25 in Mobile.
Abenoja received $6,000 in scholarships for winning the overall title, as well as additional scholarships from winning the academic, talent and fitness competitions. Several colleges in the state also award full renewable tuition scholarships to the winner.
Abenoja is the third MBHS student to earn the DYW of Alabama recognition since 1985, which was formerly called America's Junior Miss, according to a Mountain Brook Schools news release.
The other winners were Christa Cams Lidikay in 1985 and Kathryn Tully Oelsner in 2009.
Abenoja made a positive impression while competing in Montgomery, said Eddie Macksoud, chairman of DYW of Jefferson County. "She was very well-loved by the other participants, the committee that puts on the program and other participants' families," Macksoud said in the MBS news release. "Every mom and dad wants their darling to win, but she deserved to win."
At the Jefferson County competition, Abenoja won $4,400 in scholarships.
In addition to the overall title, she was the winner in the fitness and scholastic categories. "It was so surreal to win," she said. For her talent entry at the Jefferson County competition, Abenoja chose a ballet en solo pointe. "Ballet is something that I've always wanted to have a solo in and try as a soloist, but it's also outside of my comfort zone being up on stage alone, doing a ballet on pointe." she said. "I was really excited to just get out of my comfort zone and try something new."
In the future, Abenoja is interested in medicine and may want to pursue a neurology and neuroscience program in college. Winning competitions has become a habit for Abenoja this year. She won the Miss Olympian pageant in the Fine Arts Center at MBHS on Nov. 20. She emerged as the overall winner in a field of 12 contestants.
