LAWRENCE COUNTY-Francesca Orozco, a Bedford North Lawrence High School senior, is the 2024 Lawrence County Distinguished Young Woman. Known for her academic excellence, leadership skills, and dedication to her community, Francesca impressed judges with her talent, poise, and commitment to her future goals. Her victory highlights her determination and sets a positive example for all young women in Lawrence County.
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. While modest in its beginnings, Distinguished Young Women grew and remains today the largest and oldest scholarship program of its kind for high school girls. Participants are evaluated in five categories: scholastics (25%), interview (25%), talent (20%), fitness (15%), and self-expression (15%). Local program winners advance to the state level, with state winners ultimately competing in the National Finals held in Mobile, Alabama, the following June.
Francesca, the daughter of Justin and Shirley Kemp, is active in almost every aspect of student life. Academically, she maintains a 4.3 GPA while balancing participation in various sports, clubs, and volunteer work. As a student-athlete, Francesca is a member of the swim, cross country, and track teams. “I love the teams and the opportunity to overcome mental and physical obstacles and grow as a person,” she said.
In addition to her studies and athletics, she participates in many clubs and service organizations in the school. She is a member of Key Club, Rennaisance, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Impact Club, Beta Club, National Honor Society, and Student Council. She has continuously served as an officer in these clubs throughout her years at BNL, gaining vital leadership experience. Strong in her faith, she is a member of The Remnant Church, where she volunteers at the nursery and participates in their soap ministry, which distributes detergent to families in need.
The competition is judged on five categories: fitness, academics, interview, self-expression, and talent. Of the categories, Francesca said that fitness was the most challenging. “We had to do a routine for the judges, and it was a lot to memorize.” For the talent demonstration, she performed a combination of dance and violin. Academic and interview sections are completed prior to the event.
After graduating from BNL, Francesca plans to attend Notre Dame University to study law. “Law has always been something I wanted to do since I was little.”
She expressed gratitude for the opportunity to compete and also for the young women who participated. “All of the young ladies that participated were so kind and encouraging. We really felt like a family going into this, and we were all rooting for one another. I want to thank Anah Hewetson-Gouty; she was an incredible director. And, of course, I want to thank my mom.”
