Since former George Rogers Clark High School student Claire Martin was named Distinguished Young Woman of Kentucky in 2023, the competition has gained momentum throughout Clark County.

Recently, locals have had more reasons to celebrate. 

Caroline Harper, this year’s Clark County Distinguished Young Woman, finished as 1st Runner Up Overall while also placing high in several additional categories. 

“Our committee and I could not be more proud of Caroline for her incredible accomplishments at the Distinguished Young Women of Kentucky State Program,” said Haley Tye Ross, Clark County DYW Chairperson. “She competed among a remarkable group of young women, handled every challenge gracefully, and represented our community with a poise of excellence. We are so excited for her bright future!” 

The Distinguished Young Women scholarship program is the largest and oldest scholarship program for high school women in the nation. 

While the 67th Distinguished Young Women Kentucky State Program was briefly postponed due to inclement weather, it was nevertheless held on January 11, with the finals occurring on January 12. 

Harper was one of nearly 30 county representatives who competed in two preliminary rounds before the finals on Sunday. Each representative had an interview on Thursday, and a separate judge scored their scholastic information. They presented their talent, fitness, and self-expression during preliminary rounds on stage answers. Harper won several awards, including Hometown Favorite – an online voting competition with all money going towards scholarships. 

Collectively, along with serving as 1st Runner-Up overall and a Top Ten Finalist, Harper won in overall self-expression and earned both a fitness and talent preliminary award. 

Harper also won over $5,000 in scholarship money at the state program and a total of around $9,000 overall, including local scholarships. 

BeiBei Sheng from Fayette County was named the 2025 Distinguished Young Woman of Kentucky.