Canyon Ridge High School junior Kaija Stevens won a scholarship from the academic category in this year’s Magic Valley Distinguished Young Women Program (DYW), following CRHS senior Halle Boggess winning the overall title of Class of 2026 Magic Valley Distinguished Young Woman last year.
This scholarship program takes place every year. It starts in January and ends with a regional competition in March. Participants are evaluated based on five categories: talent, fitness, interview, academics, and self-expression. The program teaches young women to improve their stage presence, public speaking skills, and confidence. The program also gives participants the opportunity to meet other juniors from around the Magic Valley.
“I just felt proud because I have worked hard on academics… I’ve made sure to keep my grades up and my GPA up the best that I could. So to have recognition for all that I do… It was cool to finally get monetary recognition,” said Kaija.
Kaija won a $400 scholarship after being evaluated on her GPA, a letter from her counselor, her transcript, and her various extracurricular activities.
“I worked hard to get to that point by preparing, but then, by the time performance night came, my thought process was, I’ve made it this far. I’ll just go on stage, give them what I can, and just have fun with it,” said Kaija.
“I think it’s a great program. It helps empower young women. It is really important for, especially young women, and youth in general, to gain that confidence, and know that they are so capable of so much more than most of us think we are,” said Halle.
After winning the competition last year, Halle went on to participate in the Idaho Statewide DYW competition. This competition involves regional winners from every county in Idaho and took place in Idaho Falls last year.
As last year’s Magic Valley Distinguished Young Woman, she had the responsibility to teach the fitness routine she learned at the state competition to this year’s DYW participants. She also attended rehearsals, helped the other girls, and acted as the Master of Ceremonies at this year’s showcase.
Halle stated the program is a “time commitment” but “totally worth the growth”. She said that participants should choose to become involved for the “right reasons” and should not “come hoping to win” because that is “not the point of the program”.
“If they come and focus on their personal growth, meeting other girls, and strengthening each other through that experience, they’ll get so much out of it. Definitely come try it,” said Halle.
Preparing for the Magic Valley DYW program is a time-consuming process. Participants must prepare to perform a 90-second talent onstage, answer a question onstage in 30 seconds, perform a fitness routine, and answer questions based on their bio during an interview with judges, while maintaining their grades.
