T.R. Miller senior Sara Perkins has been chosen as Conecuh County’s Distinguished Young Miss.
Perkins, the daughter of Angel and Jeff Fountain of Brewton and Doug and Kathy Perkins of Mobile, competed for the title an at-large competition in Montgomery in last month.
“Conecuh County doesn’t have a county program,” Perkins said of the national scholarship program that promotes and rewards scholarship, leadership and talent in young women.
“The Distinguished Young Woman of Alabama-At Large is an official preliminary of Distinguished Young Women, which is formerly America’s Junior Miss,” Perkins said.
Participants from each of the 45 local programs advance to the state competition in Montgomery, where another panel of five judges will select one representative to advance to the annual national finals competition.
Perkins, who is a trumpet player in the TRM Tiger Marching Band, performed an en pointe ballet number as her talent.
“While I love music, I have always loved dance above anything else,” Perkins said.
Perkins and her family live one mile over the county line, which prevented her from competing in the Escambia County program.
“It was something I wanted to do,” Perkins said of the competition. “I was so nervous, but the girls there were amazing. I made a lot of new friends right off the bat.
“I was thrilled to be chosen as Conecuh County’s DYW,” she said. “I’m amazed and humbled.”
After graduation, Perkins plans to pursue a pharmacy degree from Auburn University.
Perkins and Escambia County DYW Morgan Manning – each representing TRM – will travel to Montgomery in January for the state competition.