With a State Title to Her Name, Houle Goes to National Finals

Recent Saline High School graduate Christine Houle will travel to Mobile, Ala. on Sunday, June 17 to participate in the 55th Distinguished Young Women National Finals to be held June 28, 29 and 30 at the Mobile Civic Center Theater.

Houle is one of fifty state representatives competing for a share of around $130,000 in cash scholarships and the opportunity to represent the program as the Distinguished Young Woman of America for 2012.

Houle, who will continue her studies at Yale University, at the 54th annual state program held Jan. 28 at Saline High School.

Following her selection as the Distinguished Young Woman of Michigan, Houle began preparations for the National Finals competition, which will include five categories of evaluation: scholastics (20 percent), interview (25 percent), fitness (15 percent), talent (25 percent) and self-expression (15 percent). During her two weeks in Mobile, Houle will participate in team building activities, complete community service projects, interact with the Gulf Coast community through various events and engage in many hours of rehearsal in preparation for the three night scholarship competition.
 
"The mission of Distinguished Young Women is to provide a life-enhancing experience for our participants that culminates in a celebratory showcase of their accomplishments," said Becky Jo Peterson, executive director of Distinguished Young Women.

If selected as the program’s overall winner, Houle will spend the next year representing Distinguished Young Women across the country through various appearances and promoting the program’s national outreach initiative of "Be Your Best Self." The outreach program is designed to encourage young people to lead successful and productive lives by committing to live by five principles – Be Healthy, Be Involved, Be Studious, Be Ambitious and Be Responsible.

To view the live webcast of the Distinguished Young Women National Finals, visit http://www.local15tv.com on Saturday, June 30 at 7 p.m. CST. To see photos of participants during their time in Mobile, visit http://www.fusionpointmedia.com.