Poised, ambitious, remarkable … these are just a few words that describe the young women that participated in the Class of 2027 Distinguished Young Women Program sponsored by Soroptimist International of Oakdale and the Oakdale Joint Unified School District. Twelve young women, juniors at Oakdale High School including Isabella Camorlinga, Mikayla Seymour, Summer McGinnis, Peyton O’Neal, Ella Christensen, Dakota Burford, Karlie Felix, Emma Humphrey, Audrey Clark, Claire Tolboe, Lilly Plascensia and Zeidy Cornejo, worked with mentors and past participants (also known affectionately as ‘Has Beens’) over the past couple of months to prepare for the various standards of excellence that were evaluated during the Saturday evening, March 7 program staged at the Magnolia Elementary School auditorium. Competitive categories were Scholastics, Interview, Talent, Fitness and Self-Expression. Of the 12 participants, only 11 of them were present during the final program because varsity soccer player Dakota Burford accompanied her teammates to Salinas on Saturday, as the Lady Mustangs advanced to play in the NorCal finals.
By the end of the evening, it was Audrey Clark taking home the title of Oakdale’s newest Distinguished Young Woman.
The DYW Program originated more than 50 years ago and has continued to provide young women with local, state and national scholarships totaling more than $1,000,000. Oakdale has been part of the DYW Program since 1967 and Soroptimist International of Oakdale has been sponsoring the program for more than 35 years.
As Tammy Bengston, President of the Soroptimist International of Oakdale noted, “The Distinguished Young Women Program promotes higher education through scholarships while also teaching life skills to help young women be successful throughout their lives.”
“Each of you represents the very best of Oakdale,” said Mayor Cher Bairos as she congratulated the young women on their achievements throughout the program.
She also shared how proud she was of each of the participants and noted that the 2026 DYW winner, Avery Gleason, also recently won the Junior Achievement of the Year Award from the Oakdale Chamber of Commerce.
With a lengthy preparation period for the event, current participants are paired with past participants (Has Beens) that act as “Big Sisters” to them by providing encouragement, assistance and support throughout the program.
“I am beyond proud of these girls. Tonight we honor them because they are remarkable young women and it takes a lot of courage to do what they are doing,” outgoing DYW Gleason shared.
Past Distinguished Young Women often return to serve as judges, committee members and assist in other ways. Caryn Meissner Scaief, Rupali Mahida and Colleen Hawks-Pierce were past DYW winners and each of them has continued to serve within the program in various capacities.
Soroptimist member Hawks-Pierce is directing the upcoming production of Into the Woods, a Broadway musical by Stephen Sondheim, for Oakdale High School. She shared a preview of the show on Saturday with several Oakdale High School drama students performing vignettes from the upcoming show, which begins on April 23 and runs through May 3. From vignettes to musical numbers performed by the Has Beens, the evening was filled with dazzling entertainment.
Though the participants work together for several weeks during the program, the final ceremony in which participants are awarded various scholarships and the new DYW is selected is ultimately the big event. With Scholastics and Interview portions being evaluated prior to the evening program, Fitness, Talent and Self-Expression are evaluated during the final program. These young women displayed incredible poise during the self-expression portion of the event and coordinated their fitness routines seamlessly.
Those in the crowd agreed that simply saying the participants are talented is an understatement. Mikayla Seymour shared insights into her woodworking project, which she completed over the course of a few months and consisted of two chairs joined by a table with drink holders built in to enjoy those warm summer evenings out on the patio. From there the audience was treated to touching vocal performances and energetic dance performances including an exquisite ballet performance by Emma Humphrey. Audrey Clark shared her architectural drafts of a house she designed while Zeidy Cornejo celebrated her heritage and faith through a rhythmic dance with ceremonial flags.
As the program came to a close, the judges took their leave to make their final deliberations and the audience was treated to a performance by the Has Beens. Judges evaluated the participants on the five categories with the Scholastics and Interview portions comprising 50 percent of the overall score. Talent accounted for 20 percent, with Fitness and Self-Expression comprising the final 30 percent. After some lengthy deliberation, the judges emerged and the past award recipients presented this year’s winners with their awards.
Audrey Clark took home top honors, receiving the 2027 Distinguished Young Woman title as well as scholarships for the Interview and Scholastics portions of the program. She received a $2,500 scholarship for the Distinguished Young Women of Oakdale Class of 2027 title award and an additional $400 in scholarship awards for interview and scholastics.
Clark is planning on studying Architecture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and has served as a leader for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes as well as the California Scholastic Federation Club. A student-athlete, Clark participates in varsity tennis, basketball and track teams and medaled in the 2024 Valley Oak League Track Championships.
Scholarship awards were also presented to Peyton O’Neal for Second Place ($1,500) and the Self Expression Award ($200); Lilly Plascensia received Third Place ($1,000). Claire Tolboe received Fourth Place ($800) and the Fitness Award ($200). Zeidy Cornejo received Fifth Place ($600) and the Talent Award ($200). Mikayla Seymour received the Community Service Award ($500). Karlie Felix received the Spirit Award ($200).
More than $8,000 in scholarships was awarded to the participants. Soroptimist International of Oakdale also extended their gratitude to the sponsors that helped to make this program possible through their generous donations: Oakdale Lions Club, Oakdale Rotary Club, Oak Valley Community Bank, Dr. Chet and Mrs. Parnima Mahida, Dr. A. Lee and Nicole Scaief, Dr. Jeff and Dr. Jodi Sceville, Bordona’s Furniture and Appliance, Haidlen Ford and Steves Chevrolet-Buick Auto Dealerships, Nicholas White of Edward Jones Investments, Orval Neal of Generations Home Loans and Steve and Terri Taylor. Soroptimist International of Oakdale provided the title award.
Organizers said all participants displayed outstanding poise, dedication and ambition; each of them also represented their community with dignity and integrity.
