Alabama’s Carrington Hodge brings home the title of Distinguished Young Woman of America
Carrington Hodge, center, walks with other Distinguished Young Women contestants on a visit to Bellingrath Gardens in Mobile. Hodge is the first Alabamian to take the national Distinguished Young Woman of America title since 2001. (contributed)
As the newly named Distinguished Young Woman of America and the first Alabamian to take the title in more than 20 years, Carrington Hodge hopes to shine a spotlight on the need for acceptance of all people.
Hodge’s passion for promoting social justice and education began long before she stepped onstage at the 66th annual Distinguished Young Women (DYW) National Finals in Mobile.
“It all started during the COVID-19 pandemic when I saw how hard people of color were hit by the disease and the socioeconomic influence it had on them,” said Hodge. “I wanted to help raise awareness about the need for health equity and education, and do my part to make sure everybody has the same opportunities. I wanted to be part of the fix.”
Hodge created “Unmasked: The Simone Project,” an educational resource website that focuses on topics such as minority history, social justice and current events that may be uncomfortable to discuss and study in a classroom setting. Although she launched the project as part of an extracurricular assignment through YouthServe Birmingham, Hodge plans to continue raising awareness about these issues as she represents DYW in the coming year.
Carrington Hodge of Helena is the 2023 Distinguished Young Woman of America. (contributed)
Hodge, who lives in Helena, was named the winner of the DYW national competition in Mobile on June 22-24, making her Alabama’s first young woman to receive the honor since 2001. She was awarded scholarships at the local, state and national competitions totaling $78,000, which she will use when she heads to Vanderbilt University this fall to pursue her dream of becoming a pediatric neurosurgeon.
“Carrington is an amazing representative of the girls,” said Carole Hegwood, executive director of Distinguished Young Women. “She is intelligent, talented and goal-oriented, and represents what we really want to see in these young people just graduating and going off to college. She is also fun, bubbly, has an excitement for life and relates well to people.”
Hodge was selected from among 50 girls, each representing their state.
“It felt like all the hard work I’ve put in has paid off,” Hodge said. “The connections I’ve made through DYW and the sisterhood with the girls has been phenomenal. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Distinguished Young Women contestants hit the town in Mobile, Alabama from Alabama News Center on Vimeo.
A graduate of Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School in Birmingham, Hodge was a standout student during her high school years. She was tapped for six honor societies, named a 2022-2023 College Board National African American Recognition Program Scholar and an AP Scholar, received the Princeton Prize Certificate of Merit, and was selected as a Coca-Cola scholarship semifinalist. She also took part in YouthServe Birmingham, a community service organization that empowers teens and helps them develop leadership skills.
“Helping with summer camps and serving on the YouthServe Action Council is where my devotion to civic engagement and my love of working with children have stemmed from,” Hodge said.
At Vanderbilt, Hodge will be on the pre-medical track, but she will do more than just hit the books. She will perform on the college’s dance team.
“I’m excited for this experience because I’ve never been part of a dance team where you perform at football and basketball games,” said Hodge, who has been dancing onstage since age 3. “This will be something new. I’m still getting to dance, but it won’t be in the same way.”
An unforgettable adventure
During their 10-day visit to Mobile for the national finals, Hodge and the other girls got the true flavor of the Port City by living with host families. They visited several well-known sights in Mobile, including Bellingrath Gardens, the USS Alabama Battleship and two colleges, and had fun at a beach party at Dauphin Island. The DYW competitors also met with successful female professionals during a women’s forum and took part in service projects during the Junior League’s “Be Your Best Self Day.”
The girls were totally immersed in the experience.
“They limit your cellphone time, so you get to engage fully with the girls and the families,” said Hodge. “You become so in tune with the program that when you come out on the other end, you feel like you got so much more out of it.”
The highlight for the girls was getting the opportunity to show off their skills before a national audience, said Hodge, who performed a jazz en pointe dance routine to “Bye Bye Blackbird” during the talent portion of the show.
Hegwood said DYW, originally known as America’s Junior Miss pageant, provides more than a billion dollars in cash and college-granted scholarships to young women annually. Most of the teens face off in local and state competitions during their junior and senior years. The winners of the 50 state competitions then move on to the national finals in Mobile in June.
“Our goal is to empower young women to be their best self – all they can be or want to be,” said Hegwood. “The girls are high academic achievers and very talented, and they apply themselves extremely well. While we are proud of Carrington, we want all the girls to walk away with a winning experience.”
The Alabama Power Foundation is a longtime supporter of DYW.
“Without the Alabama Power Foundation and others, we can’t do what we do,” said Hegwood. “It’s these partnerships that allow us to offer more opportunities and larger scholarships to so many young women.”
As DYW’s new representative for the next year, Hodge will stand as an example for other young women. She said she plans to write a monthly blog for the DYW website, focusing on the various aspects of the organization’s “Be Your Best Self” national platform. She is also scheduled to return to Mobile in November for the city’s Veterans Day celebration, travel to New York in the spring and “pass the baton” to next year’s winner at the 2024 DYW national finals.
“DYW has now become a new part of me,” Hodge said. “I’m proud that DYW promotes the well-roundedness of who you are. It’s not about what you look like or what you wear; it’s about being a leader and being devoted to your passions.”
“I’m also proud to be a representative for young girls of color and let them see that they can be rewarded as long as they take a risk and get involved,” she added.
For more information about DYW, click here.
