T.R. Miller senior Ryan Garmeson is among the 50 contestants vying for the title of Alabama’s Distinguished Young Women this week in Montgomery.
The ladies, who represent 50 Alabama counties and will be staying with volunteer host families, arrived in the state capitol on Friday, Jan. 9.
This Friday and Saturday, the high-achieving high school seniors will compete at Montgomery’s Frazier United Methodist Church in the categories of fitness, talent and self-expression to win thousands of dollars in scholarship money and the title of 2015 Distinguished Young Woman of Alabama. 
The contestants are also judged on their scholastic performance and interview skills prior to the weekend competition. 
As DYW, Garmeson’s outstanding academic achievements earned her tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships on the local level. Now, she is competing for $41,000 in cash scholarships and more than $2 million in college granted scholarships, and the opportunity to represent the state as the Distinguished Young Woman of Alabama for 2015.
Garmeson, the daughter of Erin Garmeson and Johnny Abrams, was recently chosen as a National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist and served as the T.R. Miller Tiger Marching Band drum major.

She and the other contestants are experiencing a multitude of events this week, including a trip to the Montgomery Zoo, a “Be Your Best Self” presentation at St. James Elementary School, lunch with the Cattleman’s Association and the Kiwanis Club, and hours of rehearsals for the weekend’s big event.
Carna Triftshauser, chairman of Alabama’s DYW program, said she is looking forward to seeing the county representatives discover more about themselves and their counterparts from different Alabama counties throughout the week
“It’s amazing how 50 girls from different areas of the state and different backgrounds can come together and they all figure out that they have things in common,” she said. “Every year you have girls that start the program and are a little more shy than others, and by the end of the week because of the experience, they come out of that shell and really just blossom into amazing young women.”
The winner of the DYW Alabama State Finals will represent Alabama in the 58th DYW National Finals in Mobile in June.