The Junior League of Dallas and Mary Kay held the 2nd Annual Women LEAD Scholarship Speech Competition at Emmett J. Conrad High School on Thursday, March 26. Each of the ten finalists had to prepare a three-to-five minute speech addressing “their dream beyond college and how they could accomplish it with $5,000.” In addition to the importance of the dream for themselves, they had to include the impact that it would have on others.
According to Junior League President Julie Bagley, “It is an incredible honor to be able to award our second annual Women LEAD recipients in collaboration with Mary Kay. We hope these scholarships will allow these women to further their education and become one step closer to pursuing their dreams. Education is one of the League’s main areas of support, and we look forward to seeing the impact it will have on their lives and future. We are also excited to see how the program will grow each year with new recipients. This program directly reflects our mission to develop the potential of women and we are eager to see the influence it will have on our community.”
The prize? The first-place winner would receive “a one-time $10,000 scholarship.” The second-, third- and fourth-place winners would each receive “a one-time $5,000 scholarship.”
Crayton Webb, Emili Quintero, Emily House, Belem Soto, Sung Mawi and Julie Bagley*
The results? Emili Quintero was the first place winner and plans to use her $10,000 scholarship to enter Texas A&M to major in business management. Second-place winner Emily House will use her $5,000 to major in physical therapy at the University of Houston. Third-place winner Sung Mawi’s $5,000 will be used for her accounting studies at the University of Texas at Austin. And fourth place-winner Belem Soto plans to also attend Texas A&M and use her $5,000 to major in wildlife conservation.
Mary Kay Inc. VP of Corporate Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility Crayton Webb added, “We are so proud to see Mary Kay Ash’s mission of enriching women’s lives around the world come to life with the Women LEAD Scholarship Program and are honored to partner with the Junior League of Dallas for another great year. It has been truly inspiring to see the seeds of success root through these scholarship recipients and we know great things lie ahead as we create opportunities to develop female leaders in our community.”
* Photo credit: Rhi Lee