Looking forward to a ‘fun and rewarding year’

Published 2:21 pm Friday, June 24, 2011

On a hot summer afternoon, Anna Marie Ronderos spent her afternoon sitting by the pool, babysitting some nearby children while they splashed away in the water.

It was a nice contrast from the hustle and bustle of April, May and early June, while Ronderos prepared for the Distinguished Young Women scholarship program, where she walked away with more than $10,000 toward her college education and the title of Distinguished Young Woman for St. Clair County.  

Formerly known as the Junior Miss program, Distinguished Young Women provides scholarships for young women, as well as giving them the opportunity to refine their interview and public speaking skills in from of a large audience.

After watching 2011 St. Clair County Junior Miss Elise Adkins progress through the scholarship program and appearances as St. Clair County Junior Miss,

Ronderos said she knew the program was a good scholarship opportunity, encouraging her to try her hand at it. She had also participated in the Miss Springville competition this year, but by the end of April, Ronderos had her sights set on the DYW program. Time that wasn’t taken up by sports and school was filled with preparation for the scholarship program.  

“We had practice from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. most Saturdays, and then I probably spent an hour or two at home researching or working on my talent,” Ronderos said.

From researching political offices held in the state and the country, to perfecting her clogging routine to “Cuties” from the musical, “Hairspray,” a lot of time and energy went into preparing for the program, which took place June 7.

When it came down to the actual program, Ronderos said she was optimistic, but knew she had stiff competition ahead of her.

“I had done well in my high school pageant, but I knew this was a lot different,” she explained. “At first, I thought I had a pretty good chance to get something, but when I met the girls in the meeting, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, these girls are all like me. They all do a lot of activities in their schools, they’re all involved, they’re all smart.’ I was just kind of like, ‘Oh, no,’ so I was going in there just to have fun.”

While Ronderos described the day as being “busy, busy, busy,” it was also a lot of fun — including the cash and scholarships she won for being chosen Distinguished Young Woman.

“My first reaction when I heard that I won was, ‘Oh my gosh, I just won and I’m going to state!’” she said. “State is in January, and it’s a whole week where you’re treated like a princess and stay with a host family, so I was excited.”

Ronderos won a total of $3,400 in cash scholarships, as well as a two-year scholarship to Jefferson State Community College, worth $8,352. She said it’s likely that she’ll begin her college career in the Fall of 2012 at Jeff State, before transferring to Birmingham Southern University to major in Biology or Chemistry. After that, she plans to attend University of Alabama at Birmingham’s dental school to become an orthodontist.

But for today, she’s enjoying the chance to relax by the pool.

“I know that I won’t have a down day in the next year. I’m going to have to be doing something every day, especially with sports practices and preparing for the state program and making appearances. I’m kind of nervous. It’s going to be a stressful year, but it will be a fun and rewarding year.”