By Emily Enfinger | The Selma Times-Journal

More than 50 high school senior girls will be arriving in Montgomery this week for the 59th Distinguished Young Women of Alabama program.

Esosa Aghedo, 17, a homeschooled student, will be representing Selma and Dallas County.

She said two of her good friends competed and placed in categories at the county level and inspired her to try the program. Aghedo said she was surprised to have made it to the state level.

“I was really shocked, but I was really excited because I think it’s just a great opportunity,” Aghedo said.

Distinguished Young Women is a national scholarship program founded in 1958 to provide young women the opportunity to further their education by providing a transformative experience to showcase their skills. Distinguished Young Women offers more than $820 million in scholarships every year, according to distinguishedyw.org.

The girls will be arriving in Montgomery on Friday and be there until after the final event on Jan. 16. During their visit, they will be visiting local attractions and participating in smaller events such as an oyster eating contest hosted by the Wintzell’s Oyster House and visiting the Montgomery Zoo.

The program evaluates the girls in five categories with different weights for the final score.

The scholastics and interview portions of the event weigh the most, each consuming 25 percent of the final score. Talent holds 20 percent while fitness and self-expression follow close behind at 15 percent each.

“They really push you to your limit and they expect a lot of you, which I think is a good thing,” Aghedo said.

Aghedo said every girl gets to choose what she does for the talent portion. She said talents generally vary from singing to dancing and even poetry reading.

“I will personally be dancing,” Aghedo said. She will be performing a contemporary ballet piece she choreographed herself.

Aghedo said she would be elated if she became the state representative and moved on to nationals but is still really grateful of the opportunities the program has provided her so far.

“If you never try, you’re never going to know,” Aghedo said. “Whether I win or lose, I will be content with that.”

Aghedo said she wants to study ballet performance and dietetics, and has been looking at various schools out of state to continue her education.

National finals will be held in Mobile in June, after all the final contestants have graduated.

For more information about Distinguished Young Women, visit their website at distinguishedyw.com.