POWDERSVILLE — A senior at Powdersville High School has been named the Distinguished Young Woman of South Carolina 2016 and will represent the state at the national finals next year.
Tara Jordan Moore, daughter of Gordon and Patty Moore, participated in the Distinguished Young Women of Anderson County scholarship program held at LaFrance Elementary School in Pendleton on March 7. She won the official Distinguished Young Women bronze medallion and $800 in scholarships.
Moore represented Anderson County in the Distinguished Young Women of South Carolina scholarship program on July 24 and July 25 in Lexington, where she won an additional $5,800 in scholarships and the silver medallion. Moore received preliminary awards in scholastic achievement, talent, self expression, and physical fitness at the state program.
Moore is a rising senior at Powdersville High School where she is captain of the Revolution dance team and a member of the Student Council, Beta Club, National Honor Society, and Interact Service Club. She was recently named the Star Student People’s Choice Award Winner by the Independent Mail newspaper.
She is a Patriot Scholar, Junior Marshal, and a Palmetto Girls State delegate. She is a member of the Senior Jazz Company at Upstate Carolina Dance Center where she has won numerous national dance awards. Moore has volunteered with many charities in the Powdersville area, including Operation Unite, Special Olympics, and Meals on Wheels. She is a member of Newspring Church and Fuse Youth Group.
Moore will participate in the Class of 2016 national finals next June in Mobile, Ala., where she will compete for more than $100,000 in scholarships.
Distinguished Young Women representatives from throughout South Carolina spent a week in Lexington living with host families. In addition to attending rehearsals, the girls visited the State House, Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens, Columbia College, and the Boys and Girls Club.
This year’s participants received training in self defense, fitness and nutrition, interview preparation, and etiquette. They were entertained at various theme parties including a luau, game night, western barbecue, and a tea party.
Distinguished Young Women, formerly known as America’s Junior Miss, was founded in Mobile, Ala., in 1958, and is the oldest and largest national scholarship program for high school girls. Participants are evaluated in scholastic achievement (25 percent), interview (25 percent), talent (20 percent), self expression (15 percent), and physical fitness (15 percent).
Visit www.distinguishedyw.org or contact Sharon Shingleton at 287-1850 for more information. Participants for the Class of 2017 (rising high school junior girls) are now being recruited. There is no fee to participate.
