Hard work continues to pay off - at least that’s what Champion High School Senior Dylan Billock says after being named the second-place scholarship recipient in the 2024 YWCA Young Women with Bright Futures Award Program! “I met so many amazing young women through this experience who are all so deserving so I was surprised when they called my name,” Billock recalled about winning second place. “But more than anything, I’m really proud, hard work pays off, and it is truly an honor to have been the district’s one nominee for the award.”
The organization held its 30th annual event on Saturday, April 13, 2024, at the Holiday Inn in Boardman. Billock’s second-place award earns her an $8,000 scholarship provided by the Thomases Family Endowment and the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation. An additional $500 scholarship was provided to all program honorees by Denise DeBartolo-York. Billock was one of more than twenty young women from schools across Mahoning and Trumbull counties nominated for the honor.
The YWCA Young Women with Bright Futures Awards Program was established in 1994 to provide an opportunity for community recognition of outstanding young women who are high school seniors. Honorees are selected by school administrators based on their leadership, creative, academic, and volunteer traits. CHS guidance counselor Casey Vastag nominated Billock and says, “I have had the opportunity to get to know Dylan personally over the past few years and she is a kind, helpful, and determined individual. She works hard and is passionate about the career she wants to pursue. These reasons made her an obvious choice for our candidate for the YWCA Young Women with Bright Futures Award. She absolutely deserves recognition for her commitment and drive to succeed!”
As part of the program, honorees participate in three days of leadership seminars where they hear from guest speakers, work to compose essays on why they should be selected for the top scholarship award, and complete a collaborative community service project, where this year monetary donations and more than 6,000 non-perishable food items were collected for those who receive assistance from the YWCA. “It felt so good to know we were able to give so much back to those who need it,” Billock says about the project. “I also really enjoyed hearing from the various speakers the program had come talk to us. Their messages about integrity, building relationships, and being reliable all resonated with me and I plan to really work hard to make sure I’m living up to the expectations that come along with exemplifying those qualities.”
Billock (and her parents) credits her participation in the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Conservation Teen Advisory Council (ConTAC) as helping her stand out among this group of Young Women with Bright Futures honorees. Billock is just one of 70 high school students from across Ohio to participate in this program. The Council meets once a month and provides participants with opportunities to learn more about the state’s environment, make recommendations for program enhancements, and explore career opportunities. The education Billock has received has even allowed her to present classroom lessons to students in 4th grade at Champion Central Elementary. In addition to her work with ODNR, she holds a part-time job, takes honors and College Credit Plus (CCP) classes at Champion High School all while being active in various organizations and clubs, including serving as President of the National Honor Society, a four-year member of the cheerleading team, Champion Teens Care, Academic Team, and stage crew for the spring musical. Following graduation, Billock plans to attend Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania where she plans to major in environmental studies and conservation. She hopes to pursue a career in the field possibly in land conservation or research.
Congratulations Dylan!