Sauk Prairie's Addison Strunz will represent DYW Prairie du Sac

High School girls throughout Wisconsin will come together for the Distinguished Young Women (DYW) of Wisconsin State Finals on Saturday, July 30, 2022, at 7:00 PM. Participants will contend for cash scholarships and the opportunity to represent Wisconsin as the Distinguished Young Woman of Wisconsin at the National Finals in Mobile, Alabama. The mission of Distinguished Young Women is to positively impact the lives of young women by providing a free, transformative experience that encourages young women to reach their full individual potential.

Addison Strunz, Sauk Prairie High School student, will participate in the Class of 2023 Distinguished Young Woman State Finals Program as the Distinguished Young Woman of Prairie du Sac. She is a junior at Sauk Prairie High School and is the daughter of Elizabeth and Jerry Strunz.

Strunzes’ extracurricular activities include participating in Future Business Leaders of America. She is the public relations officer for her student government, where she is the class secretary.
Strunz is also active in trumpet and ballet and captains her high school gymnastics team. Strunz is the president of her 4-H club, where she shows dairy cows and pigs and many other projects.

A volunteer at 6:8, an organization that helps those living in poverty, Strunz works with the childcare, making community meals, aiding the elderly, and tutoring math and reading. Through 4-H, she cleans the fairgrounds, supervises buildings, judges Cloverbud projects, works in the food stand, and sets up and tears down the barns.

While Strunz owns her own small business — Tangled Crochet Crafts, her long-term goal is to become an Orthopedic Surgeon. She plans on graduating a year early from high school. She knows the challenge of graduating early, but she looks forward to going to college to pursue a degree in human biology on a pre-med track.

She chose to participate in the DYW program because she loves the message it shares of being your best self. “I see this as an opportunity for growth and learning to expand into my best self. The workshops will teach me many valuable life lessons I can use in my future. I am able to make connections and friendships with other Distinguished Young Women that I will carry with me throughout my life,” Strunz said.

Strunz hopes by sharing her experiences, she’ll encourage others to participate in the DYW program.

Her experience with DYW has been fantastic, having learned about herself by participating. “Everyone that I have met and worked with has been so kind. I have learned valuable life skills like interviewing and public speaking that will help me in my everyday life and future,” Strunz said.

The 2023 Wisconsin State representative and 49 other high school winners will seek the opportunity to acquire some of the $100,000 in cash scholarships and hundreds of thousands of dollars of college-granted scholarships at the National Finals Program.

The Distinguished Young Women of Wisconsin At-Large Program is now taking applications for girls in the Classes of 2024 and 2025. Apply today at: www.distinguishedyw.org. For more information on Distinguished Young Women of Wisconsin, please contact State Chairperson Meg Sranske at: wisconsin@distinguishedyw.org and Wisconsin National Support Team member Carol Rubino at: carol@distinguishedyw.org.

About Distinguished Young Women

Founded in 1958, Distinguished Young Women is a free program that encourages participants to reach their full individual potential. Our mission is to empower young women by providing over $1 billion in scholarship opportunities, connecting with a nationwide network of women, developing self-confidence, and participating in our Life Skills Workshops that prepare them for high school.

National sponsors include Barbara Barrington Jones Family Foundation, Mobile County, City of Mobile, Alabama Power Foundation, Shoe Station, Gant Travel Management, the Coffeen Family, Regions Financial Corporation, Jostens and Alabama Media Group.

Wisconsin state sponsors include the Women at Johnsonville, Jockey, Eder Flag, Mathnasium, Young Dance Academy, Dale Carnegie Training and the Staybridge Suites Milwaukee Airport South Hotel. The state program will award $10,000 in college scholarships this year.

For more information about Distinguished Young Women, contact Tara Principe, National Headquarters Marketing and Communications Director, at 251-438-3621 or Tara@DistinguishedYW.org or visit www.DistinguishedYW.org.