Cover Story

As she heard her name announced on stage as the winner of the 2023 Distinguished Young Woman of America competition, Carrington Hodge knew that several things had made the accomplishment possible. She reflected on the importance of her community, family, and faith in God as she prepared for the scholarship program and in her growing-up years leading to the moment.

A Distinguished Young Woman. A Helena resident and 2023 graduate of the Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School in Irondale, Hodge was crowned this past June at the competition–formerly known as America’s Junior Miss–in Mobile, Ala. The scholarship program is open only to high school seniors and provides hundreds of thousands of dollars for women heading off to college. Hodge, who also was recognized as an AP Scholar, Princes Prize Certificate of Merit Recipient, and College Board National African American Recognition Program Scholar during her years in high school, received a total of $45,000 in cash scholarships from Distinguished Young Women (DYW) and will attend Vanderbilt University this fall.

For Hodge, the decision to participate in the program stemmed from her love of dance. Her ballet teacher, Angela Walker, has been involved in the Alabama pageant circuit for years and always encourages her students to consider the DYW program. One of Hodge’s closest friends and fellow dancer, Julianne Abenoja, placed in the previous year’s program as first runner-up at nationals and encouraged her to participate. “I saw Julianne go through the whole process and saw how she was able to balance doing it and competitive dancing while also keeping up her grades,” Hodge said. “That was very important to me because I wanted to make sure I could balance everything well.” Hodge knew that adding the competition on top of an already-grueling and busy school and dance schedule would be a challenge–but she was determined to “do it all.” The state competition in Montgomery required her to miss time away from school and took Hodge extra time and effort to get caught up with her school’s demanding academic requirements. “It was all about balance,” Hodge said of all the DYW preparation. “I had lots of early mornings and late nights. You have to prioritize and plan well. At our school, you had papers due every class in every week at the same time. The load can be tough.” Hodge’s work and commitment to balance her priorities, however, paid off as she won the Shelby County title in June of 2022, the Alabama state title in January of 2023, and then the national title this past June.

The DYW competitions consist of a blend of academics, talent, fitness, and self-expression. Founded in 1958, the program is the oldest and largest college scholarship program for high school girls and changed its name from America’s Junior Miss to reflect its focus on academics. Hodge worked hard to prepare for each aspect of the local, state, and national contest. “Dance has really helped. Not just for talent, but you are doing fitness routines that have rhythm, cardiovascular strength, balance, and flexibility both as a group and in individual sections,” she said. “And I felt very comfortable in self-expression. During the preliminary sessions, you get your questions ahead of time, but during the final round it’s fishbowl style and you pull a question that is usually about current events. You have only a few seconds to think about your response.” While she felt well prepared, Hodge said she was initially shocked to qualify for the Alabama state program. “I was so excited and surprised and to be a representative of the state was great,” she recalled. “When I got to the top eight, I felt well prepared, but I was still surprised when they said my name as the winner.” Moving on to the national competition was more stressful–especially with the added pressure of keeping up with school–but Hodge said the experience was incredibly rewarding. The national competition is always held in Mobile, so the “home turf” gave Hodge extra confidence. “Alabama is very involved in the Distinguished Young Women program, and there is a lot of involvement at the local level, so there’s a huge support system for the girls,” she said. “Having that was a huge benefit.”

A Family of Support. Greater than that support, though, was the support of her family. An only child, Hodge credits her parents Terra and Lamar with helping her succeed and keeping her grounded. “My mom is my best friend, but I’m also a daddy’s girl,” Hodge said. Her parents’ direction and advice have a huge impact on her, and she keeps their words in the forefront of her mind–as she competes, but at other times of her life as well. “My mom always tells me, ‘Put in the work, and the rewards will come.’ Throughout the whole process when it was tough balancing school, dance, and other activities, I always remember my mom’s advice,” she said. “She always encourages me to pursue my goals and strive for excellence.” She said her mother is a “backstage mom” who works like a manager for her; she also provides great advice to other girls participating in the competitions. And her dad? In addition to spending time together watching Marvel movies, listening to Motown music, and enjoying sports, Hodge said that her father gives excellent advice. “Remember who you are and whose you are,” is his most repeated adage. “This motto keeps me grounded and rooted in my faith,” she said. “It also reminds me that I represent far more than myself.” Hodge also points to her extended family, which includes a cousin who’s more like a sister and grandparents who all live in the Birmingham area.

A Faith that Makes Things Possible. Hodge credits her church as the first place she felt comfortable performing in front of others, and then as the place where her faith was rooted and has grown over the years. She and her family are longtime members of First Baptist Church of Ensley where her father serves as a deacon, and she attends regularly not just with her parents but with extended family. It’s a place, she said, where she feels comfortable and loved. As a child and teenager, Hodge participated in leading prayers, performing in church plays, and filling other roles in front of the congregation. “The church gave me a Christian foundation, but also gave me the chance to present and perform,” she remembered. “Church was the first place I really felt comfortable, and people recognized my ability, and I branched out from there.”

Seeing family members serve–her father as a deacon, mother as a deacon’s wife, grandmother as a church clerk, and cousins in the choir instilled in Hodge the importance of serving the church as well. She could often be found standing with her father as he greeted attendees as an usher, and she later helped run tech for the services. She said that having that example in front of you and then having those church members love and support your dreams is incredibly empowering. “Having that community of supporters who are loving and caring has been so wonderful,” she said. “They even had a celebration at church after I won nationals. It was very special.” Beyond church participation, Hodge said that prayer is vital to her life and manifested itself in many ways during her preparation for the DYW experience. “As a group, we prayed before each round of competition and the Alaska representative, Jazzie, and I prayed over each other every day,” she said. Her prayers during the competition reminded her to keep things in perspective. “It brought me back to my purpose, but it let me know that anything I do is His will,” she said. “My grandmother always reminds me of Proverbs 3:5-6 and I repeat it constantly to uplift and encourage myself.”

Watch this video to hear more about how growing up in the church shaped Hodge and learn more about why she chose to attend Vanderbilt University!

A Future of Service. As Hodge embarks on her year as the new America’s Distinguished Young Woman, her main goal is to ease into life as a college student. The DYW program doesn’t ask too much of its reigning winners since its primary purpose is to encourage academics and college success. She’ll make some limited appearances and will be on hand to pass the medallion the next winner in Mobile next summer. She also plans to continue the service work she promotes as part of DYW’s “Be Your Best Self” program. The program encourages women to be healthy, ambitious, involved, responsible, and studious, with all winners asked to work actively all year to live out those priorities. Hodge starts this fall at Vanderbilt University with plans to major in neuroscience and minor in African American studies on a pre-med track. She will also be on Vanderbilt’s dance team. She received full tuition as a recipient of the school’s Chancellor’s Scholarship and plans on using her DYW scholarship money for medical school. As she looks ahead, she remembers the verse from her grandmother:“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

-Cheryl Wray is a freelance writer based in Hueytown; she’s a married mom of three and grandmother of six.