Miss Brooklyn Porter Named Caribou County Distinguished Young Woman
May 21, 2026 12:57PM ● By Katie Lundquist and Enterprise Staff
Brooklyn Porter (3) was named Caribou County's DYW after an exciting competition on Saturday night at SSHS.
Caribou County Distinguished Young Women held their annual program last Saturday night before an enthusiastic audience filled with friends, family, and aspiring young women. The annual event is a chance for Junior girls throughout the state to demonstrate a high level of quality in a range of different areas. Supporters enjoyed watching eight wonderful young women from our county showcase their physical fitness, talent, poise, and public speaking skills.
Emcees for the evening were dad-joke machine Dr. Matt Kunz and the 2025 Distinguished Young Woman, Kallie Stoddard, who tolerated the jokes like a professional.
At the end of the night, Grace’s Brooklyn Porter earned this year’s Distinguished Young Woman of Caribou County title, picking up where Kallie Stoddard left off and keeping the title in Grace for another year.
Brooklyn Porter was also a recipient of a number of category awards, in addition to the overall DYW title.
In addition to the title, though, there were a number of other awards and scholarships presented. One of the purposes of DYW is to recognize the importance of further education and scholarships are awarded to encourage and support that goal.
A few awards were determined before the final competition, and they are the following:
The Be Your Best Self Award was chosen by the committee. The recipients of this award were given a $500 scholarship. They were Aspen Skinner and Kylee Fullmer
Spirit of Distinguished Young Women: This award was selected by the participants. The recipients of this award were given a $450 scholarship. The awards went to Brooklyn Porter and Amanda Cooper.
During the Saturday night contest itself, awards were given based on the judge’s evaluation of the performances. Each round was a high-stakes chance to execute at the highest level possible. The real-time awards were as follows:
Fitness Award: The fitness portion comprised 15% of the overall score. The recipients received a $500 scholarship. They were Jeanaelie Shaffer and Brooklyn Porter.
Self-Expression Award: This category comprised 15% of the overall score. The recipients of this award received a $500 scholarship. They were Brooklyn Porter and Kylee Fullmer.
Talent Award: Talent comprised 20% of the overall score. The recipients of this award received a $550 scholarship. The awards went to Kylee Fullmer and Brooklyn Porter.
Scholastic Achievement Award: This category comprised 25% of the overall score. The recipients received a $650 scholarship. Kylee Fullmer and Mariah O’Brien were the recipients of those awards.
Interview Award: The interview was 25% of the overall score. The recipients of this award received a $650 scholarship. The awards went to Brooklyn Porter and Jeanaelie Shaffer.
The 2nd runner up received a $900 scholarship. The winner was Kylee Fullmer.
The 1st runner up received a $1000 scholarship. The winner was Jeanaelie Shaffer.
The Caribou County Distinguished Young Woman title went to Miss Brooklyn Porter. She received a $1200 scholarship and will have the opportunity to represent Caribou County in the state Distinguished Young Women program held in Idaho Falls in October. If named Idaho’s DYW, she will travel to Mobile, Alabama to take part in the DYW National Finals.
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 their self-confidence, and participating in our Life Skills Workshops that prepare them for success after high school. National sponsors include Mobile County, City of Mobile, Barbara Barrington Jones Family Foundation, Alabama Power Foundation, Gant Travel Management, Regions Financial Corporation, The Coffeen Family, John Cauley Jeweler, Jostens and Alabama Media Group.
DYW chairperson Myra Leatherman, would like to thank the many local community sponsors of the program, especially the Lions Club of Soda Springs. A special thank you to the committee members, parents of the participants, stage and sound crew, and all who supported the 2026 Caribou County DYW program.
