Akshaya Rajkumar - Finalist in Distinguished Young Woman Scholarship program contest

Akshaya Rajkumar, a Senior at Avondale High School, Auburn Hills, Michigan represented Oakland County in the Michigan State Finals of Distinguished Young Women Scholarship Program held at Saline High School, Saline on Saturday, January 25, 2014 and was adjudged the Finalist & one of the runners-up in the finals. Akshaya also received the highest Scholastic Award & the overall Personal Interview award and a cash scholarship towards college education. Akshaya advanced to the State Finals after winning the Oakland County contest held in November 2013. All the contestants are evaluated in the following categories: Scholastics (20% of overall score), Interview (25% of overall score), Talent (25% of overall score), Fitness (15% of overall score), and Self-Expression (15% of overall score).

Founded in 1958 in Mobile, Alabama, Distinguished Young Women is the largest and oldest national scholarship program for high school girls. The mission of the organization is to positively impact the lives of young women by providing a transformative experience that promotes and rewards scholarship, leadership and talent. It has provided life-changing experiences for more than 700,000 young women across the country and more than $93 million in cash scholarships at the local, state and national levels.