From Tribune staff reports
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.–Kate Nichols, a rising senior at Hewitt-Trussville High School, was selected as the Distinguished Young Woman of Jefferson County 2025 during the organization’s program at John Carroll Catholic High School on July 20.
Participants from Hewitt-Trussville High School. Courtesy of Holly Nichols.
In addition to being named Distinguished Young Woman of Jefferson County, which came with a $5,000 scholarship, Nichols was also selected as the Overall Fitness Winner and a Preliminary Interview and Self Expression Winner.
Distinguished Young Women, formerly America’s Junior Miss, was founded in 1958 as a way to reward the accomplishments of high school senior girls seeking to pursue higher education through scholarships.
Seven rising Hewitt-Trussville seniors participated in the program this year, which featured competitive categories for Scholastics, Talent, Self Expression, Interview, Fitness, and Spirit.
They included Sadie Benson, Lillianne Campbell, Ella Kate Clark, Katie Harris, Kiersten Pritchard, Stella Shipman, and Nichols.
Campbell was named First Alternate, earning her a $3,500 scholarship, while Pritchard and Shipman also finished as top finalists.
Benson was selected as the Overall Scholastics Winner and Harris received a special talent recognition.
Shipman was also named a Preliminary Fitness, Interview, and Self Expression Winner, Campbell was named a Preliminary Scholastics and Talent Winner, and Pritchard was named a Preliminary Scholastics Winner.
$1,000 scholarships were awarded to each of the top finalists while $750 was given to overall winners, $500 was given for preliminary awards, and $350 was given for special talents recognitions.
A total of $31,050 in cash-tuition scholarships were awarded in this year’s program.
Nichols will advance to the Distinguished Young Women of Alabama Program in Montgomery on January 24 and 25 where she will compete for over $30,000 in scholarships and the title of Distinguished Young Woman of Alabama 2025.
The 2026 Distinguished Young Woman of Jefferson County Program will be held July 13-19, 2025.
Members of the Class of 2026 who live in Jefferson County can apply now by visiting https://distinguishedyw.org/.
