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Oakdale’s Chau Competes In California’s DYW Program
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It was a family trip to Bakersfield as Jaden Chau was joined by stepdad Ian, mom Gina and sister Brooke, at right, for the California Distinguished Young Woman finals. Photo Courtesy Of Nancy Lilly
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Oakdale Distinguished Young Woman Jaden Chau, front row, second from right, is shown with fellow competitors in the California DYW state finals in Bakersfield. Photo Courtesy Distinguished Young Women Of California

Jaden Chau, Oakdale’s Distinguished Young Woman, competed in the Distinguished Young Women of California Class of 2020 State Finals along with 25 other rising high school seniors in Bakersfield on July 19 and 20.

The competition consisted of five categories: Scholastics, Interview, Fitness, Talent, and Self Expression. For the Scholastics category, Jaden’s academic record was evaluated by a qualified educator. Jaden received a 10 minute personal interview with the program’s judges for the Interview category. For the Fitness category, she skillfully executed a choreographed 10-minute aerobic fitness routine that included squats, pushups, and jumps. In addition, Jaden performed a high powered jazz/hip hop/ballet dance to Demi Lovato’s “Confident” and received resounding applause from the audience. Finally, Jaden displayed her public speaking ability, confidence, and poise for the Self Expression category when she thoughtfully answered the question, “What is the bravest thing you have ever done, and what did you learn from it?”

Jaden and the other participants spent a total of eight days in Bakersfield for the competition and other activities including making special appearances and attending a mentoring brunch with young women entrepreneurs.

Following the program, Jaden said, “I felt so honored to be a part of and surrounded by the most talented and smartest girls in California. I’ve made so many memories this past week and the amount of growth, memories, and lifelong friendships and sisterhood I have obtained is indescribable. Every one of those girls inspired me to become a better person. This was the best experience of my life and I feel honored to represent my amazing community and to educate other girls around California about my town.”

Attending the program with Jaden were her mom and stepdad, Gina and Ian Jones, sister Brooke, grandmother Janice, and several friends. Also attending the program was Soroptimist member and DYW Program Chair Nancy Lilly.

Stephanie Temnyk, Distinguished Young Woman of Turlock, was named California’s Distinguished Young Woman for the Class of 2020.

Oakdale’s program is sponsored by Soroptimst International of Oakdale. The next local program for the Class of 2021 will be held in 2020 and is open to junior class girls that reside in the 95361 zip code. For more information, contact Nancy Lilly, (209) 607-7605.

For more information about the DYW scholarship program, visit www.DistinguishedYW.org. For more information about Soroptimist International of Oakdale, visit www.oakdalesoroptimist.org or on Facebook at Oakdale Soroptimist.