This year’s Distinguished Young Women competition has wrapped up in Mobile, with Dora Guo of Illinois named the 2019 winner.
Guo said she wants to use the platform to send a message to younger girls: always be true to yourself. She credited the experience with strengthening her belief that success does not require changing who you are.
“There’s a way for you to be successful in the way that is most authentic to you,” Guo said. “I don’t feel like I have to be any less weird or geeky to be this representative. I think that means a lot to show everybody that.”
Over two weeks, the finalists competed and explored the community, taking part in oyster and rib-eating contests and performing for patients at USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital. Guo said the experience deepened her appreciation for the program and left her eager to share the opportunity with other young women.